


About Time

by JCapasso



Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-31
Updated: 2020-06-09
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:20:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 75
Words: 124,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24471190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JCapasso/pseuds/JCapasso
Summary: In which Damon noticed Stefan coming back to switch places in the series finale and was sent back in time to his first meeting with Elena.
Relationships: Alaric Saltzman/Jenna Sommers, Bonnie Bennett/Jeremy Gilbert, Caroline Forbes/Stefan Salvatore, Elena Gilbert/Damon Salvatore
Comments: 82
Kudos: 108





	1. Chapter 1

Damon took a few deep breaths in the protected cavern while he waited for the first wave of the hellfire to pass. He knew that compelling his brother away was the right thing to do. He couldn’t have lived with himself any other way. That didn’t make it any easier to leave Elena though. To know that he would never see her again. That one day she would wake up to a world where he wasn’t. He wondered if she would have someone compel her love away again. He wasn’t sure if he wanted her to or not. The idea of her forgetting him tore him apart, but her living the rest of her hopefully long life with that kind of grief weighing on her wasn’t much better. She was human now though. Maybe that would help. Knowing that she wasn’t facing eternity alone. 

Once the first wave passed, he stepped out, dragging Katherine, who had just woken up, along with him, waiting for it to come back before he killed her. He cursed when he heard Stefan coming up behind him and just barely avoided the needle that his brother tried to stab him with. He threw Stefan back into the protected cavern and breathed a sigh of relief when he could still hear his heart beating strongly. That meant that he was just unconscious. Hopefully he wasn’t hurt too badly. At least if he didn’t wake up on his own, there were people out there who knew the plan and would likely come down to check things out. He didn’t have much more time to think before he saw the fire roaring back through the tunnels and stabbed the knife into Katherine’s heart just before it reached them. 

The next thing Damon knew, he was floating in a bright white space. He hadn’t quite gotten his bearings yet when he heard a cacophony of whispering voices. He was still trying to separate all the voices talking at once when they stopped and only one voice rang out. He couldn’t tell if it was masculine or feminine, but it said, “Damon Salvatore, you have earned a chance few ever do.”

“What chance?” Damon asked confused. 

“Your final act of selflessness makes you ineligible for hell, but you aren’t redeemed enough for peace either…yet,” the voice explained. “You will be sent back to the moment you first met your soulmate. You will have more time to decide where you will go. We will meet again then.” 

“Wait! What do I…” Damon was cut off when he found himself lying in the road as he caught his first glimpse of Elena. He made a quick decision to play it the same as he did last time. Elena had told him how much she cherished this memory once she got it back. “Katherine,” he forced himself to say as he moved over to her. 

“Um…no, I…I’m Elena,” she said as she looked around nervously and Damon resisted the urge to grin at her. He had to play this cool. 

“Oh. You look…I’m sorry. You just…really remind me of someone,” he told her, shifting nervously, trying his best to keep everything the same as before. This was his first impression and he wouldn’t be taking it away this time. “I’m Damon.”

“Not to be rude or anything, Damon, but…it’s kinda creepy that you’re out here in the middle of nowhere.”

Damon gave a little chuckle as he smirked. “You’re one to talk. You’re out here all by yourself.”

“It’s Mystic Falls. Nothing bad ever happens here,” she said as though it should be obvious. ‘Oh if only you knew’, Damon thought wryly. “Got into a fight with my boyfriend,” Elena said sheepishly. 

“Bout what…may I ask?” Damon asked raising his hands in a gesture that meant that he wasn’t prying and that she was free not to answer. He already knew that she would though, just as he already knew the answer. 

“Life. The future. He’s got it all mapped out.”

“And you don’t want it?” Damon asked knowingly. 

“I don’t know what I want,” she said with a shrug. 

“Well that’s not true,” Damon said with a lop-sided smile. “You want what everybody wants.” 

“What? Mysterious stranger who has all the answers,” she said teasingly. 

He huffed a laugh. “Well let’s just say I’ve been around a long time. I’ve learned a few things.”

“So, Damon. Tell me. What is it that I want?” she asked with a smile and god Damon could just drown in that smile after so long. 

He took a few steps towards her, reciting the words that he could never forget even if he tried. “You want a love that consumes you. You want passion. And adventure. And even a little danger.” He forced himself not to wince at the last part. Last time around she’d had a lot more than a little danger. She’d had nothing but danger. He would protect her from as much of that as he could this time. 

“So, what do you want?” she asked with a smirk of her own, but before he could answer, a horn honked. “That’s my parents.”

Damon smiled as she turned back to him and he said, “I want you to get everything you’re looking for.” This time he didn’t compel her to forget. “But for now, don’t tell anyone you met me? I don’t want anyone to know I’m back in town just yet.”

Elena chuckled. Mysterious stranger was definitely right. She had no problem keeping his secret though. It wasn’t as if he’d hurt her and she was definitely more than a little intrigued by him. She hoped she would see him again. “Okay, Damon. I won’t say anything. See you around. Maybe.” 

Damon watched her walk off, back to her parents car as he slipped into the woods and let out a heavy breath. He hoped that he wouldn’t regret not compelling her later. He had no intention of letting his brother weasel his way into her life first though. Not this time. She’d told him once that if she’d met him first things would have been different. This time she would remember that she had. 

It wasn’t until he heard the car driving off that he remembered that this was the night of the accident. The one where she had almost died and had lost her parents. He rushed back out of the woods to try and stop it just in time to see the car hit the bridge and before he could decide what to do, it was already careening out of control which left him one option. He was already diving by the time it hit the water and was sinking fast. He tried to break the window first, but he couldn’t get enough momentum under the water to do it, so he just grabbed the door and yanked it off, unhooking her seatbelt and pulling her out and to the surface. 

Elena regained consciousness just as they surfaced and she started coughing and flailing. “My parents!” she cried as she tried to get out of his arms. 

“Elena, calm down,” Damon said firmly. “I’ll go back for them if you can make it to shore on your own,” he said sincerely as he took her face in hands. 

“I can go back…” 

“No,” Damon said. “And we don’t have time for arguments. You’ve already lost consciousness once and you might be injured. Go,” he gave her a push towards the bank and waited until she started swimming before he dove back down. When he got there, he could see that her mother was unconscious, but her father was still struggling with the seatbelt. At least his window was down so he wouldn’t have to show his strength to a vampire hunter. He reached in and yanked the seatbelt off, knowing that could just be passed off as adrenaline, unlike pulling the entire door off the car, and he pulled the man out. He could tell that he was in much worse shape even without the blood pouring from his head wound. 

Just as Damon surfaced again, he heard another splash and saw Stefan jumping in and going for Elena. “Stef! There’s one more down there,” he called out as he swam that direction. Elena didn’t seem to be having too much trouble and if they could save both of her parents all the better. Even if they were vampire hunters and wouldn’t be likely to let him get too close to Elena. At least she would be better protected and have far less grief on her shoulders. 

Stefan turned and looked completely confused at his brother, but when Elena pushed him away and asked him to help her parents, he decided that was the best course of action anyway and dove for the car. Once Elena could stand on the bottom, she waited for Damon to help him pull her dad out of the water, but he was unconscious now. They were just getting him up on the bank when Stefan returned empty-handed. “She was already gone,” he said sadly. 

Damon sighed and tried to keep the irritation out of his voice as he said, “You should have brought her anyway. CPR might have been able to help.”

“Go back,” Elena sobbed as she ran over to Stefan and tried to push him back into the water. “Go back and get her!” 

Damon went over and took her flailing arms, turning her to look at him. “By the time he gets there and back, it will definitely be too late. I’m sorry, Elena,” he said sympathetically. 

“Why didn’t you bring her?” she cried as she started to collapse. 

Damon caught her and lowered her gently to the ground before reaching into his pocket. “Oh crap. I didn’t think to dump my phone before I jumped in. Did you, Stef?” he asked hopefully, only for his brother to pull an equally waterlogged phone from his own pocket. “Knew I should have invested in the waterproof case,” Damon muttered before turning back to Stefan. “Why don’t you run back to the party and borrow a phone from someone to call 911. I’ll stay and take care of them.” He felt bad now for what he said about not bringing her mother up. He hadn’t meant to throw Stefan under the bus like that, and wanted to give him a chance to make up for it. 

Stefan looked suspiciously at him, not wanting to leave his psychopath brother alone with two vulnerable humans, but when Elena yelled at him to go, he didn’t have much of a choice. He only hoped that they would both still be alive when the paramedics got there. Once Stefan was running back towards the bonfire, Damon turned back to Elena. “I’m gonna check on your dad. You’ll be okay,” he said gently as he moved over to the man that he wouldn’t admit scared the crap out of him. A normal vampire hunter wasn’t so bad, but this man had been an Augustine and after the horrors he’d experienced at their hands, he couldn’t help that sliver of fear he felt. Still, he hoped he survived for Elena’s sake. 

He made a show of checking his pulse, despite the fact that he could hear from the heartbeat that it was way too slow. Then he pulled the eyes open and frowned worriedly when his pupils didn’t react at all in the light from the full moon. He pulled up his shirt and couldn’t help but curse when he saw the bulging black spot across his abdomen. Maybe if he’d been a doctor, he might be able to save him out here, but if the paramedics didn’t get here soon, he wouldn’t survive either. Unfortunately, Elena heard him curse and asked worriedly, “What’s wrong?” as she rushed over. 

Damon took a few deep breaths before deciding that she deserved the truth. She’d never liked things sugar-coated and she hated lies with a passion. “His pulse is too slow, his pupils aren’t reacting to light, and it looks like he has some internal bleeding, probably from the seatbelt,” Damon told her. “Keep in mind, I’m no doctor, but…”

Elena broke down in tears and Damon couldn’t help but wrap an arm around him as she sobbed on his shoulder. “This is all my fault. If I hadn’t skipped family night. If I hadn’t fought with Matt and asked them to come get me.” 

“Elena, no,” Damon said sadly, pushing her away enough to look in her eyes. He wouldn’t take her memories. He knew how she felt about compulsions, but surely this one little one would be okay. Once he caught her eyes, he brought his power to the surface. “This is not your fault. This was a simple accident. There is no one to blame.” 

“Just an accident,” she repeated in something of a daze. “Not my fault.” 

Damon let his power wane as he pulled her close again and she resumed sobbing. “The ambulance should be here before too much longer. Hopefully they’ll be able to help him.” 

Stefan was back a moment later and stopped short at the sight before him. Damon was comforting her and the man hadn’t been eaten. His confusion reached a whole new level. “Damon, we should go…”

Damon shook his head. “I’m staying,” he told Stefan. “I’m not leaving her alone like this, and they’ll want to talk to me anyway.”

“Just make her forget, and lets get out of here. We don’t need to be involved,” Stefan said worriedly. Was his brother just being sadistic and waiting for more victims? Waiting for them to have hope and then snatch it away? Had he caused the accident to begin with even?

“I’m not taking her memory either,” Damon said firmly. “Go if you want, but I’m staying.” She would hate him messing with her memories and he’d long ago promised never to do that to her. That had been the main reason he’d forgiven her so easily for erasing him after he’d ended up in the prison world. If she had gone that far she must have truly been desperate. At least when he lost her, he’d had hope that he would see her again, even if it would take decades. 

Stefan huffed and came over to check on her father himself, quickly coming to the same conclusion that Damon had. His chances weren’t good even if the ambulance got here now. He watched his brother warily, wondering what game he was playing as they waited, but not wanting to say too much in front of a human that Damon was refusing to compel for some reason. 

They only sat there for a few minutes until they heard the sirens and since Stefan was the one without a sobbing girl in his arms he got up and ran to the road to flag them down. A team of paramedics was coming down the hill with loaded gurneys as the sheriff pulled up and Damon almost smiled at the sight of one of his closest friends after so long. Her death had been one of the more difficult that they’d dealt with, but at the same time, one of the easiest. At least it had been of natural causes rather than supernatural, though he did question if all the times she’d been given vampire blood to heal her from other injuries caused it sooner than it would have happened. Just in case, he would do his best to keep her away from the stuff. 

Four of the six paramedics went to Grayson Gilbert since he seemed so much worse off while one of them came over to check on Elena. The last grabbed a handful of blankets and started passing them out as Liz came down the hill. Damon wrapped the blanket around Elena’s shoulders before his own, appreciating the reprieve from the cold and wet. “She lost consciousness for a bit right after it happened,” Damon told the paramedic that was looking Elena over. 

“Are either of you hurt?” Liz asked Damon and Stefan and they both shook their heads. “Okay good. So what did happen here?” 

Damon took the lead since he’d been here longer. “I saw the car go off the bridge and jumped in after it. The man there,” he pointed to Grayson, knowing that he wasn’t supposed to know any of these people, “motioned for me to get Elena first, so I did. She woke up as we reached the surface and implied that she’d be okay to swim, so I let her go and dove back down for him. Just as I was coming back up with him, my brother got here so I sent him down after the woman, but it was too late.”

“And you just happened to be here at just the right time to catch it?” Liz asked suspiciously. 

“I can’t speak for him, but I was just out for a walk, trying to familiarize myself with the area. We’re here visiting family,” Damon told her. 

“Yeah, I was doing the same,” Stefan told her. “I didn’t see it, but I heard the splash and then her yelling so ran over as quick as I could.” 

Liz nodded, not seeing anything suspicious other than the extreme coincidence. She would be questioning Elena a bit more thoroughly once she was up to it though. “What are your names?” she asked. 

“I’m Stefan Salvatore and this is my brother Damon,” Stefan told her, noticing that his brother was rather distracted and kept looking back at Elena. 

“You’re visiting Zach then?” she asked. 

“Yep. Good old Uncle Zach,” Damon said with a lop-sided half smile. 

Liz nodded. She would have to tread carefully if she happened to find anything suspicious. This was a founding family after all and Zach was on the council. “Okay. Good enough. I assume I can find you at the boarding house if I have any more questions?” They both nodded and she headed over to Elena to see how she was now that the paramedic seemed to be finished with her. 

Damon wanted to say goodbye to Elena, but she was busy and probably not in any shape for chit-chat at the moment. She remembered them mentioning that she and Jeremy had stayed with Liz for a while after the accident and Liz knew where to find him now if she asked. Not that he was expecting meeting him to be on her mind for a while.


	2. Chapter 2

Now that they were done, Stefan grabbed Damon’s arm and started dragging him back through the woods, and ran at vamp speed back to the boarding house. “What are you playing at, Damon?” he asked suspiciously.

Damon sighed. He should have expected this. He had been planning to tell Stefan anyway, but wished he could have done it before he got his dander up. “That’s a very long story. Why don’t we head inside and I’ll tell it?”

“No, you can tell it right here,” Stefan said stubbornly, leaning on the porch railing and crossing his arms. He didn’t trust his brother around Zach or anyone else for that matter. 

Damon rolled his eyes. “Okay, fine,” he said as he sat down on the railing. “But fair warning. This is going to sound insane.” 

“Just get on with it, Damon,” Stefan said impatiently. 

“Right. Well. Short version…I came back in time. About ten years give or take,” Damon said wanting to get the disbelief out of the way quickly. 

“Oh come on. You can’t come up with a better story than that?” Stefan scoffed. 

“Of course, I could. If I was going to spin a story, there are a hundred better ones. This one just happens to be the truth.”

“Prove it,” Stefan challenged. 

Damon chuckled and waved Stefan to follow him. “I was planning to run a little errand anyway. You might as well come along.” He had to get something for his next big meeting which would hopefully be tomorrow.

Stefan looked at him curiously, but followed. His curiosity didn’t have him helping his brother to dig up their father’s grave though, but he did ask some more questions while Damon worked. “Assuming I believed this story…why? How?”

“Well apparently since I died in a heroic self-sacrifice while on the path to a redemption I hadn’t earned yet, I didn’t qualify for heaven or hell and since the other side had collapsed a few years before the ‘powers that be’ didn’t know what to do with me so they sent me back for a do-over so it could be decided.”

“You? Redemption?” Stefan scoffed. 

“Yes, actually,” Damon said, hurt by his brother’s disbelief. “Despite my little off the rails period when my humanity was off, I’m not nearly the monster you make me out to be. I suppose if I’m objective though, I can see why. I’ve spent so long tormenting you, and blaming you that you’ve always seen the worst sides of me. Sorry for that by the way.”

Stefan found himself plopping down on the nearest headstone, legs not holding him up anymore. Damon had apologized. Sincerely. Damon never apologized for anything. Ever. “Why now?” 

“Something about sending me back to the moment where I met my soulmate,” Damon said with a shrug. “Maybe because that’s when I started my path to redemption.”

“Elena? She’s your soulmate?” Stefan asked curiously, not actually believing this ridiculous tale, but willing to play along for now. 

“Yep. It was a long hard road for us to get together. For me to even come close to deserving her even, not that I ever really did deserve her, but she loved me anyway, god knows why,” Damon said as he reached the coffin. “Toss me that crowbar would you?” Stefan did so and leaned over to look, wondering how this was going to be any kind of proof. “Ah. Here we are. Emily Bennet’s grimoire. Go ahead and check. Make sure I’m right,” Damon said smugly, tossing the wrapped book to Stefan. 

Stefan looked at him suspiciously before unwrapping the paper around it and finding what Damon had said. He wracked his brain for any way that Damon could have known that was there beforehand. He had taken off as soon as he turned though. He wasn’t there for their father’s funeral or when the casket was sealed and the seal had obviously still been in place before he just opened it. Emily hadn’t even been dead before Damon took off and still had her grimoire. “How is this possible?” 

“Because I’ve found it here before,” Damon told him. “Last time around I was still hung up on Katherine, the conniving bitch, and this grimoire has the spell to unseal the tomb that she’s supposed to be in, but isn’t.” 

“Tomb?” Stefan asked confused. 

“Yeah. Emily did a spell to seal all the vampires from the church into a tomb to keep them alive. Desiccated, but alive. Katherine isn’t there though. She escaped and left everyone else to rot and has been on the run ever since.” 

“What are you going to do with this?” Stefan asked warily, considering just taking off with the book. 

“Return it to where it belongs,” Damon told him. “I’m going to take it to Sheila Bennet tomorrow. She can decide what, if anything, to do with the entombed vampires.”

“Why would anyone need to do anything with them? Why not just leave them there?” 

“Because there are those who will stop at nothing to see them released. It might be better just to crack it open and kill them before they can get lose to wreak havoc, and they will. Last time around we barely avoided a massacre of the founding families when they escaped.”

“Because you let them out,” Stefan guessed. 

“No,” Damon snarked. “I went in to get Katherine, who wasn’t there, and left the rest of them. The seal was supposed to still be up. I barely made it out before the window was closed. Somehow it failed after that. There are a few things that could have contributed, but I don’t know enough about magic to know what or how. I’ll definitely be telling Sheila what happened though so she can figure it out and prevent it.”

“I don’t completely believe you yet, but I can admit that you might be telling the truth,” Stefan said. 

“Good. Because I would like to have my brother back a little sooner this time,” Damon said with a grin as he closed the casket and hopped out of the grave before starting to fill it back up. 

“So…we were brothers again?” Stefan asked in disbelief. “I just forgave you for everything?” 

“You saw that I’d changed. It took a while, but yeah. We were super close. So much so that I forced you to leave when we were about to die, then you came back and tried to force me to leave, but I got the better of you and knocked you out so that I was the only one that died.”

“Why did either of us have to die?” Stefan asked worriedly, hoping that could be avoided this time. As much as he’d always hated his brother, he’d never wanted him dead. 

“It’s complicated and with any luck won’t come to pass this time, but someone had to be there to ‘push the button’ so to speak before the entire town went up in the flames that we managed to redirect to the tunnels running underneath,” Damon gave him the basic idea. Any more information and it would lead to them being up all night explaining. Even the fact that the ‘button’ in the analogy was Katherine would open up a whole can of worms.

“Why did you do it?” Stefan asked. 

“Because you had just gotten married. Your wife would have killed me if I came back and you didn’t,” Damon laughed, only partially joking. 

“I was married? To who?” Stefan asked in shock. 

“I’ll tell you before you go back to school next year. You won’t like her much at first though. She was one of those rare people who were actually better off as a vampire than a human. As a human she was a shallow, insecure, neurotic control freak. Once she was turned all of her great qualities below the surface came out,” Damon told him. 

“You’re not turning someone just because you think they’ll be better off,” Stefan snapped. Apparently, the new Damon wasn’t so much different from the old one. 

“I wasn’t planning on it,” Damon told him. “I’m just not planning to stop it if it happens, though it might not with as many changes as I plan to make.”

“How did it happen?” Stefan asked confused again. 

“She’s one of Elena’s best friends. She was in a car accident and was dying. They begged me to give her some blood to heal her, so I did. Unfortunately, Katherine chose that time to come start playing games and killed her later that night and she woke up a vampire. Complete accident,” Damon assured him. “She was happy though. There were rough times, of course, but her control freak nature carried over and she was the most calm and controlled vampire I’ve ever met. Other than the brief time she turned off her humanity after her mother died and you broke her heart, she never killed a single human.” 

Stefan narrowed his eyes at Damon as he considered that. If it really was that much of a freak accident and she was happy and in control than maybe it was meant to be. “Don’t make it happen,” Stefan said firmly. 

“I won’t. Not unless she specifically asks without prompting,” Damon told him. If she wanted it, he wasn’t going to turn her down. 

“If she asks, send her to me,” Stefan ordered. 

“Fair enough,” Damon nodded in agreement. “Now what do you say we go get a drink while I tell you the rest of the story. Cliff notes version of course. The whole thing would take days.” 

“Yeah, okay, but I swear Damon if you hurt Zach…”

Damon winced, remembering what he’d done to him last time around. “I won’t. You have my word.” 

“I’m gonna hold you to that,” Stefan warned. He would give this new version of his brother a chance, but at the first sign that he wasn’t on the up, he would do what he had to do.


	3. Chapter 3

Damon woke the next morning with a smile. He had been having a wonderful dream about Elena. He’d gotten to hold her in his arms last night. Granted she had been grief-stricken, but she was alive. Awake. It had been six years since he’d gotten to see her like that. Six long horrible years and here she was. He knew that she wasn’t ready for love to come into her life. Not yet. She needed to grieve. He could be patient though. He’d waited what seemed like forever for her already. What was another few months? He was determined to be better this time. Last time around he had pushed her away so much. Let his temper get the better of him too many times. Acted out his pain and heartache in the worst possible ways. He would never be good enough to deserve her, but he could certainly try. 

He pulled himself out of their bed…no, his bed now. Before he came back, thinking of it as his bed instead of theirs had been debilitating, but now it was hope. He wouldn’t have to wait sixty years for her anymore. This would be their bed again. One day. They always found their way back to each other, and he finally believed that they always would. He got ready for the day with a spring in his step and headed downstairs to find Stefan and Zach sitting in the living room. He knew they had been talking about him by the way they stopped almost the moment he came into hearing range, but that was okay. He detoured to the kitchen first to get a cup of coffee before he joined them. “Just so you know, I’m good with Zach knowing, but otherwise let me decide who to tell and who not to,” he told Stefan as he came in, assuming that was what they had been talking about. 

“What happened to me last time?” Zach asked, despite having a pretty good idea when Stefan told him that Damon didn’t mention him. 

Damon sighed and looked away. “I killed you,” he admitted. “I was going off the rails and you and Stefan locked me up. When I tried to escape, you tried to stop me, and I killed you.” 

Zach narrowed his eyes scrutinizing Damon. There had been no reason for him to tell the truth there unless he was being genuine. “Are you going to kill me again?” he asked nervously. 

“No,” Damon said clearly. “But I will defend myself if you try to kill me. And just so you know, I know about your little vervain garden downstairs, and I’m cool with it. No need for secrets. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go see a witch about a book.” He held out a hand to Stefan for the book since his brother apparently didn’t trust him to hold onto it. 

“I’m coming with you,” Stefan told him. 

“I would rather you didn’t,” Damon said with a sigh. “This is going to be hard enough without her feeling like she’s being ganged up on by two vampires.”

“And if you think I’m letting you out of my sight with this book that contains a spell to release over two dozen angry hungry vampires on this town, you’re crazy,” Stefan said firmly. 

“Ugh!” Damon threw his hands in the air. “Fine. Keep me in your sight, but stay out of hers at least. You can even be close enough to listen, I don’t care, but don’t make this more difficult than it has to be.” 

Stefan tilted his head and considered the matter before nodding. “But I hold onto the book until we get close.” 

“Fine,” Damon rolled his eyes. Once they got close to Sheila Bennett’s house, Stefan hesitantly handed over the book and headed into the woods nearby where he could still watch and listen. Damon put the book in his bag and took a few deep breaths for calm before he knocked on the door. When she opened it, Damon held out his hand, wanting her to get a sense that she could trust him, even if it would tell her what he was. He knew that she would probably know that already anyway. “I’m Damon Salvatore and I have a rather unbelievable, but completely true story to tell you.” 

She took his hand and narrowed her eyes at him. “I’m not inviting you in my house,” she said firmly. She didn’t care if her senses said that she could trust him, no vampire would ever set foot in her house as long as she lived. 

“I wouldn’t dream of asking you to,” Damon said with a charming lop-sided smile. “Nor will I ask you to step outside, despite the fact that you could probably fry me in a second without breaking a sweat.” 

“What do you want then?” she asked suspiciously. 

“There are things that you need to know, but first you’ll want to cast some sort of truth spell or something on me. Otherwise you won’t believe me,” Damon told her. 

“Wait here,” she ordered, and headed back into the house to get a few things. When she returned Damon was still standing there and she tossed an obsidian at him as she was setting up a circle of candles. “Put some of your blood on that.” 

Damon nodded and bit his hand before smearing the blood on the rock. Normally he would never give his blood to a witch, but he knew that she wouldn’t hurt him unless he became a threat. Still, he didn’t hand it back over right away. “What exactly is this going to do to me?” 

“This will bind you to your promise that you will make to me once this is finished. If you break that promise you will regret it,” she told him. 

“Okay then,” he said as he handed it over and waited for her to finish the spell. Once he saw a flash and she looked at him expectantly, he said, “I promise that everything I tell you today will be the truth as I know it.” The rock glowed for a moment and she inspected it. 

“The binding took. So talk,” she said crossing her arms and being very careful to stay on the right side of the threshold.

“First I want to give you this,” Damon told her as he pulled his bag off his shoulder and handed her the book. “Emily Bennett’s grimoire.”

She took it slowly, still looking at him suspiciously. “How? Why?” 

Damon took a deep breath as he steeled himself for this. “I dug it up last night from my father’s grave. I knew where to find it because we had found it there before later this year before I came back in time.” 

“Time travel…that’s impossible,” she scoffed, checking the binding on the rock. 

“I thought so too, but apparently not. It’s a very long story if you want to grab a chair,” Damon offered. 

“First, answer me this. Is anyone else here with you?” 

“My brother is watching from the woods,” Damon admitted, knowing that he couldn’t lie. “He didn’t trust me to do this alone, but I didn’t want you to feel ganged up on with both of us here.”

“If he comes any closer, I’ll take you both out,” she warned him. When Damon nodded, she disappeared back into the house and came back with a chair, prompting Damon to pull out his folding chair from his bag and set it up on the other side of the door. “Now tell me why? Why give this to me? Why tell me all this?” 

“I’m giving it to you because that’s where it belongs. It’s part of your family and should have been passed down long ago. As for why I’m telling you all this, I’m sure you’ll figure that out soon enough.” When she motioned him to carry on, he started his story. “It starts back in 1864. When the vampires were gathered in the old church before the fire was set, Emily did a spell to seal them into a secret tomb so that they could survive. They could only be released when the same comet came back around.” 

“I’m not releasing a horde of hungry vampires,” she said firmly. 

“And I’m not asking you to,” Damon told her. “Though it may be more prudent to open it up and kill them once and for all, but that’s for you to decide once I tell you what happened.” He launched into the full story, leaving out a few unrelated facts, most of which would paint him in an even worse light, but telling her everything she needed to know. “I’m not sure what it was that caused the spell to fail. Our interference, your death, time, someone else coming along and doing something, but if we can’t be sure that it won’t happen again, then we might want to consider taking them out before they can escape.”

“I see,” she said thoughtfully. “And this Anna. If she comes back again, and it seems that she will, what will you do with her?” 

“I’ll probably have to kill her,” Damon said regretfully. 

“You won’t even try to talk her down?” Sheila asked. 

“Of course I’ll try,” Damon resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “But how do you convince a daughter to leave her mother to a fate worse than death? A mother that she’s spent almost a century and a half waiting to free. I definitely wouldn’t let anything stop me if I was her.”


	4. Chapter 4

Sheila nodded. He made a lot of sense. “This whole story is because you want something from me. What is it?” 

Damon sighed. He would have liked to build a bit more trust before getting to this part, but he knew better than to antagonize her. “A few things, actually. First, I need you to start training Bonnie. As soon as possible. She will be the most powerful witch in existence, but there was too much she didn’t know. Didn’t understand and had to learn the hard way.” 

“Like what?” Sheila asked worriedly. 

“Expression magic for example. She had no idea how dark it was until it was too late. She let herself be manipulated into using it, thinking there was nothing wrong with it,” Damon told her, ignoring the horrified gasp the moment he said it. “She also pissed off the spirits a few times by trying to go against the natural order. She’s died and come back more than once.” 

“Her father doesn’t want me teaching her until she’s eighteen,” Sheila told him. 

Damon smirked. “Are you a Bennett witch or not? Do it anyway. It’s for Bonnie’s sake.” 

“And how do you know my daughter so well?” she asked suspiciously, hoping another Bennett witch hadn’t found herself bound to a vampire. 

“She’s one of my best friends,” Damon admitted. 

“Was she bound to you?” Sheila came right out and asked. 

“No,” Damon shook his head. “While, yes, I did save her life more than once, she saved mine and the lives of people I cared about a dozen times. We vampires don’t have the same bonding effect for things like that, but as far as I’m concerned, I will owe the Bennett line for the rest of my immortal life.”

She took a long moment to consider that, checking the truth binding as she did. If he truly felt that he owed them, then no bond with Bonnie would ever take. “And if you pay off your debt?” she couldn’t help but ask. 

“I couldn’t,” Damon said sincerely. “There is nothing that I could do that could even begin to repay her for everything that she’s done.” Just sacrificing herself to get him back to Elena from the prison world put him in her debt forever, and that wasn’t even counting everything else she’d done. Maybe there was another way to convince her of that though. “Do you know that I have a soulmate?” 

“Do your kind even have souls?” she asked distastefully. 

Damon laughed tightly, trying not to show his hurt. “Two days ago, I might have agreed with you. Then I died and met…I don’t know who they were, but I’ll call them the ‘powers that be’. There was a lot of debate about where I would go, at least I’m guessing that was what the debate was about before they apparently decided to send me back in time to the moment I met my soulmate for the first time.” 

“You’re not telling me that Bonnie is your soulmate?” Sheila asked, trying not to be horrified. 

“No, no, no,” Damon shook his head. “I mentioned that because an evil witch cast a spell on my soulmate and tied it to Bonnie. As long as Bonnie lived, she would be in a magically preserved coma. She wouldn’t wake up until Bonnie died. I could have easily killed Bonnie and had the love of my life back in my arms. Instead, I saved her life more than once even after that. Because I owed her everything. I was willing to live the next sixty or seventy years without the one person who gave my existence meaning to keep Bonnie safe.” 

“And if I call in your debt and ask you to stay away from my granddaughter?” 

“I can’t,” Damon told her regretfully. “And not because she’s my best friend and I want her in my life, but because she’s also the best friend of my soulmate, and I would never ask her to give up her best friend just because I couldn’t be around her.”

Sheila nodded. She didn’t like it, but the more she talked to him the more she trusted him. “You will keep her safe though.”

“Her life will be my second priority. I won’t risk the life of my love, but Bon-bon’s life will be well before my own and anyone else save for Elena,” Damon promised. 

“Bon-bon?” Sheila snorted amusedly. 

Damon chuckled and shrugged. “We were trapped in a prison world for a few months with just each other for company and making up ridiculous nicknames for each other helped to pass the time. That one kinda stuck.” 

“Prison world?” she asked curiously. 

“Yeah. Turned out we weren’t completely alone, but we didn’t meet Kai until the end. Then Bonnie sacrificed herself to get me out of there and back to Elena. I tried to stop her, but she used her magic against me when Kai tried to stop us and hitch a ride. I spent the next few months turning over every rock to get her out and finally managed. But not before Kai stole her blood and made his own escape.”

“Malachi got out?” Sheila asked horrified.

Damon nodded. “He did. He was the one who put the coma spell on Elena. He expected me to kill Bonnie to wake her up, but I killed him instead.” 

“I don’t understand how you and Bonnie got to his prison world in the first place,” she said confused. 

“That was actually your doing. At least we think it was. The other side was unravelling and you apparently did something to give her somewhere to escape to since she was the anchor. We didn’t know what and I was dead at the time and we were holding onto each other as it imploded and we both ended up there.” 

“How did she become the anchor?” 

“That is another long story, but suffice it to say, we went after the cure for vampirism not realizing that it involved waking up an ancient evil that nearly destroyed us all and was intent on destroying the other side. Bonnie had been dead when the current anchor was killed, but we made a deal with the witch that created the other side for her to become the new anchor so that she could live in both worlds. It won’t happen again though. I know better and that cure is better off where it is.”

“Because you won’t give up being a vampire,” Sheila said knowingly. 

“No,” Damon shook his head. “In fact, before the coma I was getting ready to take the cure so that I could live a human life with Elena. I would give just about anything for that, but that cure cost too much. It cost too many lives. Silas needs to stay buried in that tomb no matter what.”

“And that’s your other request. You want me to find a way to cure you,” Sheila guessed. 

Damon shook his head again. “I would love nothing more, but if you succeeded, it would paint a target on your back and the backs of your entire bloodline from here on out. I can’t ask you for that.”

“Then what do you want?” 

“That brings me to another long story. What do you know of doppelgangers?” 

“Not a lot. I’ve heard the term and there are legends, but nothing concrete. I know that their blood is exceptionally powerful.”

“Elena is a doppelganger,” Damon told her. “Here. This is a picture of the last known doppelganger. Katherine Pierce. The vampire that turned me.” He handed it over and Sheila sucked in a sharp breath as she saw it. “People will find out about her and where she is. If nothing else, the whole social media thing will be her downfall. Part of me wants nothing more than to just hide her away somewhere that no one can touch her or find her, but I don’t want her to give up her life. Her friends. Her family. Is there any way that you can help protect her.” 

“Elena Gilbert is your soulmate,” she said, still in a bit of shock. With everything else he kept throwing at her she hadn’t made the connection before that moment. When Damon nodded she took a few deep breaths to think. “If I can’t find a way…will you take her and hide her away?” 

“I will give her the choice,” Damon told her. “If she chooses not to take it, I will stay by her side and fight to my last breath to keep her safe. Last time that fight cost far too many lives though, so I’m hoping for a better way.” 

“I will do what I can, but I can’t make any promises,” Sheila told him. “And I will start training Bonnie this summer. If I’m to die later this year, I can’t waste any more time.”

“I don’t intend to let you die,” Damon told her. 

“If the spirits decide that it’s my time, then I will go regardless of anyone’s intentions,” she pointed out. It was possible that doing things differently might buy her more time, but there were no guarantees. She wouldn’t risk her granddaughter going through so much when her teaching could prevent at least some of it. “Is there anything else you need to tell me?” 

“Not that I can think of right now,” Damon told her. “But I want you to know that if you ever need anything, all you need to do is call. Here’s my number,” he told her as he handed over a slip of paper. 

Sheila nodded. She never would have imagined herself being friends with a vampire, but this one was a good one. Still, “You will never be invited into my house you know.” 

Damon’s lips twitched into a smile. “I know. I never expected anything different,” he told her as he got up and folded up his chair, giving her a polite nod as he left.


	5. Chapter 5

Stefan met him at the car, looking at him curiously. If the witch cast a spell to make sure he was telling the truth and she believed him then it must be true, as insane as it sounded. He had to know though, “Why didn’t you stop the accident that killed her parents?” 

Damon sighed. “Because I didn’t know how. I got back about ten minutes before it happened and was so caught up in seeing her again after six years of her being in a coma that I didn’t even realize that it was coming until it was too late. Even if I had realized though, I don’t know what I could have done. Her parents were already coming to pick her up. The storm shut down the only other road they could take, and even at vamp speed there wouldn’t have been enough time to dry the bridge so the car wouldn’t have lost control.” 

“But you pulled her out last time too?” Stefan asked curiously. 

Damon snorted self-depricatingly. “No. Last time I took off the moment we finished talking and had no idea it had happened and even if I did, I wouldn’t have cared. Not then. No, last time you pulled her out. You barely got there in time and she almost died. You left her alone and unconscious on the bank and took off.” 

“Oh,” Stefan said with a grimace. “Is that why you wouldn’t take her memories?” 

“She needed to know that she wasn’t alone,” Damon told him. “Besides, she always hated having her memories messed with and made me promise a long time ago to never do it.” 

“That could get messy,” Stefan told him. If Damon wasn’t willing to compel her when it was needed then they could all be in trouble if she was going to be around. 

“I know,” Damon admitted. “But I don’t plan to hide from her forever. She just doesn’t need all this thrown on her shoulders right now while she’s mourning her mother and possibly her father.” He also intended to tell her about her birth parents at some point too, including his role in her birth mother’s transition, but that also needed to wait. This was the worst possible time for that particular bombshell. “For now, we need to stop and get our phones replaced,” he said as he pulled into the only electronics store in town. 

While in there, he heard the news that Grayson Gilbert hadn’t survived. He hadn’t even made it as far as the hospital. Damon considered for a moment that maybe it would have been better to give him vampire blood to heal him. It had been too dangerous though. He should have done it anyway. For Elena. But he had let his own fears of the man stop him. He wasn’t doing so well on this whole being better thing so far. 

Once they got back to the boarding house with their new phones, Stefan asked, “What are you going to do now?” 

“I have a lot of things I need to do. Starting with a trip down to Duke tomorrow,” Damon said casually. 

“No, Damon. Please. Leave her alone,” Stefan begged. 

“What? No. I’m not going after Sarah Salvatore. Or Sarah Nelson as she goes by now,” Damon said as he realized what his brother was worried about. “You’re right that she doesn’t need anything to do with this world. No, I’m going after one of my best friends so that he can help me rescue another of my best friends.” 

“Vampires?” Stefan asked curiously, wondering who could be so important that his brother would actually consider them friends. He understood Bonnie. She was his soulmate’s friend which made her his, but for him to have friends of his own…that was nothing like the Damon he knew. 

“The one at Duke isn’t, but the one we are going to rescue is. He’s been captive for over sixty years by a group that dissects vampires alive,” Damon said with a shudder. 

Stefan sucked in a sharp breath of horror. “H-how do you know?” About him, about them, about any of this, the words wouldn’t come out. 

“Because I was there too for five years. Enzo helped me to escape. I was supposed to take him with me, but there was a fire and the cage was soaked in vervain and I wasn’t strong enough so I left him behind. I always thought he died in the fire until a couple years from now when I found him again. I won’t let him suffer there for another moment that I don’t have to though.”

“You were…five years…wh-what did they do to you?” Stefan asked, feeling the tears well up in his eyes at the very thought. 

“It’s not important,” Damon told him. “And I /really/ don’t want to talk about it.” 

“That’s why you turned off your humanity,” Stefan guessed. Damon had always been so against that action, but then he’d done it and stayed lost for decades. When Damon nodded with a haunted look in his eyes, Stefan couldn’t resist pulling him into a hug. The first hug between them since they became vampires. If he hadn’t believed the story before, the way Damon hugged him back tightly would have been enough of a clue. The Damon he knew would never have hugged him. Would probably have killed him for trying it. 

“I’m okay, little brother,” Damon said softly, relishing the hug that he hadn’t thought he would get for a long time until his brother managed to forgive him and move past all the bad stuff in their past. 

Stefan was the first to pull away uncomfortably. Damon may be used to hugging him, but Stefan definitely wasn’t. “Right. Well. You want some company? Or some help?” 

Damon considered that for a moment before nodding. “Sure thing. My buddy at Duke is currently a vampire hunter who wants my head because he thinks I killed his wife, so the backup might be nice,” he chuckled. 

“And he’s your best friend?” Stefan asked incredulously. 

“Yeah, we got past all that once the misunderstandings got cleared up,” Damon told him. “Not sure how to get him to believe me without a truth spell though, but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.” 

“Maybe ask Sheila Bennett for help?” Stefan suggested. 

Damon shrugged. It couldn’t hurt. He wracked his brain for a minute to remember her phone number, glad that Bonnie had stayed in her house for so long and that the utilities were never turned off so the phone number should be the same. He picked up the phone and called her. “Hello?” she answered. 

“Hi, this is Damon Salvatore again. I’m sorry to bother you, but I thought of something you might be able to help me with if you’re willing.”

“What is it?” she asked suspiciously, wondering if this was some sort of trick. Lull her into a false sense of security and then ask for more than she could give. 

“There are a few other people I need to tell my story to, but I don’t know how to make them believe me,” Damon explained. 

Sheila considered it for a moment before she came to a conclusion. After everything he was doing for her family…just returning the grimoire earned him something from her…she would help him. Within reason. “There is a talisman. As long as it is in contact with your skin you can’t lie. I’m not positive if it works with vampires though or I would have used it earlier.”

“Would you be willing to let me borrow it?” Damon asked hopefully. 

“If you give me your word that you will return it within two days,” she told him. The spell she had on him was still active until sundown. If he promised then he would be bound to it. 

“Can we make it a little longer? I’m headed out on a trip tomorrow to gather some people who need to know and I don’t know how long it will take,” Damon asked. 

“Two days,” she said firmly. “If you need it again after that, we can discuss it then.” He needed a little good behavior before she would trust him further than that. 

“Okay. You have my word. You’ll have it back within two days of the time I pick it up,” Damon promised. 

“Then you can come by in the morning to get it,” Sheila told him and hung up. 

Once that was done, Damon started to head out but was stopped by Stefan asking, “Where are you going now?” 

“I need blood, especially if we’re taking a road trip tomorrow,” Damon pointed out with a roll of his eyes.

“I don’t suppose this new you is on an animal diet?” Stefan asked distastefully. 

“Don’t push your luck,” Damon scoffed amusedly. “Don’t worry. I won’t kill anyone.” 

“Damon…”

“That’s the best you’re gonna get Stef. I’m still a vampire,” Damon said firmly. As much as he wanted the redemption and to be a better man, he had no intention of giving up everything he was for it. There was nothing wrong with a little catch and release and then he would hit the blood bank for supplies for the trip.


	6. Chapter 6

By the time Damon got back it was almost midnight and Stefan was waiting up for him. Damon rolled his eyes. “No one is dead or even injured beyond two little puncture wounds. Didn’t even take enough from anyone to make them dizzy,” he said as he took his bag downstairs to load up the fridge with the blood he took from the blood bank in the next town. He wasn’t crazy enough to steal blood in Mystic Falls. Not until there were other vampires around to blame it on at least. 

Stefan followed him and when he saw what he was doing, he asked, “Blood bags? Since when do you do blood bags?” 

“Since this is Mystic Falls and I plan to stay here for a while and need to keep below the radar,” Damon told him. He still planned to hit nearby towns for fresh blood from time to time. The bagged stuff got old after a while, but last time around he lived most on that for the same reason so he knew he could do it. 

The next morning, they were both up bright and early. Damon filled the cooler up most of the way with blood bags, only leaving enough room for some ice that they would stop for on the way. A quick trip to Sheila Bennett where they learned that the talisman did work on vampires, and they were on the way to Duke. 

Damon pulled into the campus around ten am, having made the usual three hour drive in two. He knew that it would take him most of the day, if not longer to have this talk, and then hopefully they could get Enzo out on the way home in time for Damon to have the talisman back to Sheila. If not he would have to take it back and then go for Enzo. He stepped into Ric’s office, watching him like a hawk so that he could keep from getting staked, hopefully. 

Ric looked up as he heard his office door open and when he saw the face that had haunted his nightmares for the last two years, he immediately reached for his drawer, only to find the man suddenly standing in front of it, blocking it. “Let’s not do that,” Damon said wryly. 

“What do you want with me?” Alaric asked nervously. 

“Just for you to listen. That’s all. If you still want to stake me when we’re done, I’ll let you. Not a kill shot of course, but you can still hurt me.” 

“Damon!” Stefan gasped. 

“He thinks I killed his wife, Stef. How else do you expect me to get him to listen?”

“I /know/ you killed my wife,” Alaric growled. 

“There’s a lot you think you know but don’t,” Damon told him. “But before we get into this, a little insurance so that you know I’m telling the truth. Take this,” he said holding out the talisman. 

He looked at it suspiciously. “What is it?” 

“Whenever it’s in contact with the skin, it won’t allow you to lie. I want you to test it so that you know it works,” Damon explained. Stefan had promised to stay out of it for the initial explanations. 

Alaric took it slowly and then opened and closed his mouth a few times before stopping and handing it back. “Okay, so I can’t lie while I’m holding it. How do I know it works on Vampires too.”

Stefan smirked. “Hey Damon, how old were you when you lost your virginity?” Hopefully that would be embarrassing enough that it would convince this guy. 

Damon glared at him, but gritted out the answer, knowing what he was doing. “I was twenty-five with Katherine Pierce just before she turned me into a vampire.” 

“And that could just as easily been set up,” Alaric pointed out before asking his own question. “How many humans have you killed?”

Damon winced. “In the almost a hundred and fifty years I’ve been a vampire, I’ve killed five hundred and eighteen humans as of this date, most of them during the twenty years that I had my humanity turned off.” 

“Fine. It works,” Alaric said, crossing his arms and sitting back in his chair, willing to wait for his chance to stake the bastard and fully intending to go for the kill shot anyway. “Now why did you kill my wife?”

“First of all, I only killed her in the technical sense. She came to me, begging me to turn her into a vampire, so I did. I didn’t realize at the time that she was leaving anyone behind,” Damon told him. 

“Did you even think to ask? Would it have mattered?” Alaric asked spitefully. 

“Honestly…at the time…no. It wouldn’t have mattered. I would have considered it none of my business. Before I found a love of my own, I wouldn’t have understood or cared.”

“So that’s why you’re here now? To settle your conscience?” 

“No. I’m here to get my best friend back, but that leads into the actual story I came here to tell you. We just needed to get the Isobel stuff out of the way first.”

“What are you talking about?” Alaric asked confused, hating that he could feel his hatred for this man slipping away. He could definitely believe that Isobel wanted to be turned, and he could understand that Damon had thought he’d been doing her a favor. 

“Okay so this is going to be very hard for you to believe. Heck, I have trouble believing it and I’m living it,” Damon told him, holding his hand open on the desk so that Ric could see that the talisman stayed in contact with him. “I was sent back in time ten years after dying to prevent the end of the world.” 

“What?” Alaric scoffed. “You can’t be serious.” He looked at the talisman again and took it in his own hand and held it the same way and tried to lie, but couldn’t before giving up and putting it back in Damon’s. “This can’t be real.”

“Believe me. I know what you mean,” Stefan cut in. “But I watched one of the most powerful witches in the world cast a truth spell on him yesterday as he told this story, and I can definitely tell you that my brother is a completely different person than he was the last time I saw him.” 

Alaric struggled visibly with the idea for a few minutes before letting out a heavy breath. “What’s this about best friend?”

“In a few months, you would get a job teaching history in Mystic Falls. You’d come there to learn more about vampires and we run into each other. You tried to kill me, I actually killed you, but that little ring you’re wearing brought you back to life. After that we talked, cleared up all the misunderstandings and put the past behind us. After more than a few adventures where we protected the town from other vampires together, we got close. You were like another brother to me, and I want that back. Without all the drama and near-death experiences that went along with it preferably.” 

“You can’t expect me to just accept that and instantly become your friend,” Alaric pointed out. 

“Of course not,” Damon said with a wave of his hand. “I just want you to give it a chance. Starting with a little rescue mission for another old friend of ours who is currently being dissected for ‘science’” 

“What’s in it for me?” Alaric asked, crossing his arms again. 

“I can introduce you to Isobel’s daughter that she gave up when she was sixteen,” Damon pulled out his trump card. 

“What? She didn’t have a daughter.”

“She did. She just never talked about it. No one knew until somewhere around the end of the year, maybe early next year. I can’t remember the exact date it was found out, but in the future you and her were close.”

“How close?” Alaric asked curiously. 

“You dated her aunt Jenna for a while which is when you found out. When Jenna died, her and her adopted brother didn’t have any other family so you took care of them,” Damon told him. 

“And if I help you break out this friend…you’ll help me meet them?” Alaric asked. He couldn’t deny that he had always wanted a family and this seemed pretty damn close. 

“I’ll help you meet them either way,” Damon told him. “I would just appreciate the help along the way.” 

Alaric sighed. “Okay. Fine. Classes are done for the year anyway and I don’t have any summer semester classes. Give me two hours to go by my apartment and pack up some stuff and I can meet you back here. I’m not making any promises mind you, but I’ll go on this rescue mission and then check out Mystic Falls.” 

“Sounds good. But fair warning, their family is currently dealing with a tragedy so don’t expect too much too fast.”

“What kind of tragedy?” Ric asked worriedly, wondering if the vampires in front of him had something to do with it. 

“They were in a car accident. Elena’s adoptive parents died, despite us trying to save them. I only got back in time about ten minutes before the accident or I might have been able to prevent it altogether, but I couldn’t.” 

“Okay. I’ll take that into consideration. I’ll be back in two hours,” Alaric said motioning them out of the office and locking it up behind him.


	7. Chapter 7

“I need to make a quick trip to Charlotte while we’re waiting. You stay here and let him know I’ll be back,” Damon told his brother. 

“Why Charlotte?” Stefan asked. 

“Because the woman who currently owns the house where Enzo is being kept lives there. I need to go compel an invitation,” Damon said with a smirk. 

“Just compel?” Stefan asked suspiciously. 

“Just compel. While yes, some part of me wants to continue my revenge on that family for everything they did to me and others, the price is too high.”

“What’s the price?”

“Elena’s respect and possibly even her love,” Damon told him. “It’s not worth it. I’ll be back.” 

Stefan rolled his eyes. Apparently he was going to get a little time to get to know this Alaric himself. Damon may drive fast, but making a four hour drive in two wasn’t likely. They would have time for lunch at least since Alaric was human. 

Once they got to the diner, Stefan texted Damon to let him know where they were. “Where did he go?” Ric asked, not having gotten the story yet. Just an invitation to lunch. 

“He had to make a quick detour to Charlotte to make sure he could get into where Enzo is being held. He’ll probably be back by the time we finish eating,” Stefan told him. 

“Charlotte and back in two and a half hours?” Alaric asked skeptically. 

“Our reflexes are much better than humans which means we can drive a lot faster. We made the three hour drive down here in less than two,” Stefan explained. “We can run faster than cars can drive really, but for such a long trip it would be exhausting and we have to be home by tomorrow night or the morning after at the latest or Damon will end up with some major witchy consequences from being late returning the truth talisman.” 

“So no time to waste with things like sleeping. Gotcha,” Alaric nodded. “So I’m guessing it would be easier to let you drive my car and I’ll ride with one of you.”

“If you don’t mind that would definitely save us some time,” Stefan told him. “Since I’m apparently sitting this fight out, you should ride with Damon so you can plan on the way.”

“Wait…why are you sitting it out?” Alaric asked. 

“Because he didn’t take me with him to Charlotte. Which means that I won’t be able to get in the house,” Stefan pointed out, trying not to be hurt that Damon trusted a human hunter at his back more than he trusted his own brother. 

“He probably has something else in mind for you to do,” Alaric told him, catching what Stefan didn’t want to say. No matter how close he and Damon were in the future, he couldn’t imagine wanting a weak human over another vampire. 

“Maybe,” Stefan said with a shrug as their food arrived. He just wished that Damon had been a little more open with the plan if that was the case. 

They were just finishing eating when Damon slid into the booth next to Stefan. “Okay. Back and done.”

“What’s the plan, Damon?” Stefan asked, not wanting to wait any longer. 

“Ric and I are gonna hit the house and get Enzo out while you hit the lab and destroy the research they’ve been doing. You need to fry the hard drives, smash the tapes, get rid of any unknown samples, but be careful. They have some pretty horrific diseases in there too that they’ve been testing on vampires, and we don’t want those to get out. Anything labeled with a number is from a vampire. Especially get rid of anything with 21051.”

“Was that…”

“Yes. That was me,” Damon said shortly. “And I’m still not going to talk about it.” 

Alaric winced and looked at Damon sympathetically. He wasn’t going to ask any questions but the picture he already had was pretty horrific. The whole mention of dissection and testing horrific diseases and the fact that he was given a number like it was a concentration camp or something. He wondered how long he was there and how he got out. He couldn’t really blame Damon for turning out a little off after that. “So what exactly is my role here?” 

“First of all, you’re a good hunter and have plenty of tricks up your sleeve. Also, if the head scientist butcher happens to be there to try and stop us, I’m going to turn him and stuff him in one of his own cells. That will require a few drops of human blood.”

“Damon…” Stefan said warningly. 

“Don’t Stefan,” Damon said coldly. “Just because I’m not into mindless killing anymore doesn’t mean I’m not going to hurt those who deserve it. I’m not talking about going after his entire family like I did with the one who tortured me last time, but he deserves that fate and worse.” 

As a descendant of German immigrants, situations like this would always hit him hard and he had no intention of trying to call Damon off. Not as long as he was only going after the guilty anyway. He still had to say, “But what’s the point of destroying all his research if you’re going to leave him alive forever in a position to continue it?” 

Damon opened and closed his mouth a few times as that question sunk in before he snorted amusedly. “And this is why you’re my best friend,” he told him. “You’re absolutely right. While becoming the thing he most hates would be poetic justice, he can’t be alive to continue his work. He’ll have to die.”

“I don’t think that’s what he meant, Damon,” Stefan said irritated. Here he was trying to talk his brother out of murder once again. Just days after he professed to be a changed man. 

“That’s exactly what I meant,” Alaric said harshly. “Sure they may be vampires and before today I would have advocated for killing every one of them, but not that kind of torture. They are still living sentient beings and no one deserves that. It goes against all sense of morality. Anyone who willingly participates in something like that is a true monster.” 

“I completely agree, but you’ll want to be careful who you say stuff like that to. Elena’s adoptive father, who she loves dearly, was an Augustine ‘researcher’ and carried out his fair share of experiments,” Damon told him. 

“Is that why you let him die?” Stefan asked. 

“No. Not exactly. I tried to save him the human way. I did my best. The only way I could have saved him was vampire blood which would have gotten me either killed or captured again if he figured it out,” Damon told him. 

“Was he there when you were?” Ric asked, wondering how he could possibly show so much forgiveness for someone who tortured him. 

“No. He was a little after my time. I was there from fifty three to fifty eight. The only one I ever saw was the original Whitmore,” Damon said. He didn’t mind so much talking about the facts, as long as it stayed far away from the details of what was done to them. 

“So don’t mention them to other people. Got it,” Alaric said with a nod. He was starting to see how this man…vampire…became his best friend. He had been willing to save someone he despised for the sake of someone else. He had a feeling that Elena was this love that Damon had mentioned, but didn’t know how to bring it up at the moment, so let it go for now. “We ready?” 

“Yep. Let’s get a move on,” Damon said getting up and heading outside, glad that conversation was over. Alaric spent most of the drive back to Virginia praying to a god he didn’t believe in as he gripped the dash and the door tightly, hoping that he didn’t end up barfing in this nice car. “You okay there Ric?” Damon teased. 

“Peachy, thanks,” he managed to say as he squeezed his eyes shut again as they sped by another driver way too fast. Knowing that Damon could handle it didn’t make it any easier to ride along with. 

“Just don’t puke in my car. That’s what windows are for,” Damon said wryly. When they pulled up in front of Whitmore house, Damon pulled out his phone and called Stefan to find out where he was. Once he hung up he told Alaric, “Well he’s still about twenty minutes out. Your car apparently doesn’t go fast enough. Even with me driving slow.”

“You call that slow?!” 

“I was only going about one ten most of the way. I usually push the top speed of one thirty plus,” Damon said with a shrug. “Oh well. At least it gives me a bit of time to do this.” He grabbed a random student wandering around and pulled up his compulsion power. “You will wait for me in the bar across the street. You will hold onto this. If I don’t come back for it within three hours, you will drive it to Mystic Falls and give it to Sheila Bennett at 1542 Rose Ct. You will tell no one about it, keep this hidden, and give it to no one but Sheila Bennett and then you will forget everything.” 

The kid put the talisman in his pocket and walked off. “Was that really necessary?” Alaric asked. 

“Yes. I gave my word that she would have it back in a certain time frame, and you don’t break your word to a witch. If I get hurt, killed, or captured, I have to make sure that she gets it back somehow.”


	8. Chapter 8

Damon ran a few circles around the house at vampire speed before returning to Ric seconds after he left. “What was that?” Alaric asked trying to keep his heart from beating out of his chest at what seemed like a sudden appearance. 

“Just scoping out the house. Thankfully since it’s the middle of the day, there’s no one in the upper levels. I can’t hear the dungeons, but at least it’ll mean fewer casualties.”

“Whoa now. I agreed that Dr. Frankenstein needed to die, but you didn’t say anything about killing anyone else,” Alaric said nervously, checking his stake bracelet in case it was needed. 

“And I’m not saying anything about killing anyone else now,” Damon told him. “Casualty doesn’t have to mean death. It can also mean injured enough to not be able to stop us.” 

“Right. Okay,” Alaric said, relaxing. He could live with that. “As long as it’s understood that if you kill any innocents, I kill you.”

Damon laughed and nodded just as his phone beeped and he pulled it out to check it. “That’s Stefan. He’s at the lab and it’s empty, so we’re a go. Come on.” 

Damon broke the knob off the locked front door before pushing it in, testing the threshold and smiling when he was able to step over. It seemed permission from a distance worked after all. He waved Ric in after him and crept towards the entrance to the basement which had a hidden entrance to the dungeon. Once they were in, Enzo just stared at him for a moment before he sprung. “I’m gonna kill you, Damon!” 

Damon rolled his eyes and turned to Ric. “Grab any journals, records, paper files, whatever you can find and don’t forget that room over there. Pile them in that cell.” Alaric nodded and went to do just that. “Now. Enzo. I’m sorry about what happened back in fifty eight. Really. I tried. If I hadn’t left when I did, then I would have died like I thought you did in that fire. I’ve only known that you survived for about two days and rushed straight here for a rescue, but if you would rather kill me than get out of here…”

Enzo glared at him for a long moment. He’d spent so long nursing his hatred for the man who left him here to die. Objectively he knew that if Damon hadn’t left when he did then he never would have. That didn’t make it any easier. The main source of his hatred though was the fact that he had never come back for him in all that time. If he really had thought he was dead, which honestly wasn’t that far-fetched of a conclusion, then could he really continue holding a grudge? Especially if it meant he would never get out of here. “You would leave me here?” he asked hatefully. 

“No,” Damon shook his head. “I wouldn’t leave you to continue being tortured like this. But I also can’t let you out if you’re just going to try and come after me the first chance you get.”

“So…what…you’ll put me out of my misery then? Kill me?” Enzo asked as he scrutinized his old friend. 

“If I have to, yes,” Damon told him. “But I would really rather not.”

“What are your terms?” Enzo asked, crossing his arms. 

“Just that you don’t come after me or mine,” Damon told him. “If you want to come stay with me for a while, you’re welcome to. It’s the least I could do, but if you do, no feeding in town and no killing nearby. Otherwise you’re free to go wherever and do whatever.” 

Enzo nodded curtly. “You have a deal.” 

“Great. Now stand back…”

“What are you doing?” a voice called from the stairs as he raised a gun and shot Damon in the leg with a wooden bullet. 

“Ahh!” Damon cried as his leg buckled. Unfortunately for Dr. Wes Maxfield, he was far too close to be so cocky. Damon pushed off on his good leg, just as Ric came in with his own gun. He may have wooden bullets too, but they could hurt a person as well as a vampire. Damon already had him disarmed and pinned against the wall. “Well well well. If it isn’t Dr. Frankenstein himself,” Damon drawled cruelly, liking Ric’s nickname for him. “You know what they say about when your pets turn on you.” Damon leaned down and bit his neck, but was careful to take only a taste for now before he spit it out. “Vervain. At least you’re not a total idiot.” Since he was useless as a feedbag for Enzo, Damon just snapped his neck. 

When he fell to the floor, Alaric turned away from the sight and headed back into the records room. He only had one or two more armloads to get. Damon leaned down to pull the wood out of his leg and sighed with relief as it healed up. “Now. Where were we? That’s right. Springing a jailbreak.” He turned his attention back to the cell and packed the keyhole with an explosive powder and waved Enzo back from the bars before he set it off, jumping back himself. The door easily opened and Enzo immediately went after Alaric only to be slammed against the wall by Damon. “I don’t think so. Remember the deal was that you leave me and mine alone, including him.”

“I’m hungry, Damon,” Enzo growled. 

“And I’ve got plenty of blood for you in the car if you can hold it together for ten more minutes,” Damon told him. “He’s off limits. Got it?” Enzo deflated and nodded so Ric put away his gun again as he threw the last stack in the pile Damon asked for. Damon went over and pulled a small bottle of lighter fluid from his pocket. He was nothing if not prepared. He squirted it all over the papers before lighting his lighter and tossing it in the stack. When he saw Alaric looking worriedly at it, he said, “It’s solid stone in there. Nothing will burn but the papers. If you’re worried about it, call the fire department once we’re away. That should be plenty of time for them to be gone.”

“Fair enough,” Alaric nodded as he motioned the vampires for the stairs. He may trust Damon but he didn’t trust this other vampire at his back, even with Damon watching it. Damon pushed Enzo up first and followed him, fully intending to stay between him and the fragile human until he got some blood in his system. 

Once they got to the car, Damon grabbed the cooler and tossed Enzo a blood bag before grabbing one for himself. “Stay here and don’t get into trouble. I’ll be back in five,” he told him as he headed to the bar across the street to get the talisman. When he got back, Damon motioned Ric to drive. “Take a left out of here and get on 101 towards Mystic Falls,” he told him. “Stef will meet us there.” He wasn’t going to be distracted with driving while Enzo was in the car “Help yourself to more if you’re still hungry after,” Damon told him. 

“You don’t feed on humans anymore?” Enzo asked distastefully. 

“Sure I do. The bags are just easier for travelling. And when I’m stuck close to home for longer periods. Mystic Falls is a little vampire crazy so feeding in town isn’t a good idea. Most people are on vervain and always have an eye out for us.”

“Then why would you live there, mate?” 

“Because it’s home,” Damon told him, deciding not to expand on that for the moment. “I meant what I said. Once you’re full, we can drop you somewhere if you want to make your own way. Hell, I’ll even get you a bus ticket. Or you can come home with me, as long as you remember the rules.”

“I think I’ll take that bus ticket. Somewhere warm. Florida maybe. A town that’s always on the lookout for vampires doesn’t sound like much fun to me.” 

“Fair enough,” Damon nodded and pulled up his phone for the gps to the nearest bus station and put it in the holder for Ric to see. 

Alaric was more than a little nervous with a vampire in the backseat. One that had recently tried to eat him anyway. The vampire next to him didn’t bother him so much. He easily detoured towards the bus station which was only ten minutes away. During that time Enzo had polished off five blood bags, but then he had been starved for over sixty years, so it wasn’t that surprising. Damon got out and bought him a ticket, handed him a wad of cash, and wished him well before coming back to the car and taking the driver’s seat back.


	9. Chapter 9

As they got back on the road, Alaric felt free to speak again. “So you do still feed on people?” 

“Catch and release,” Damon said amusedly. At Ric’s confused look, Damon explained. “Grab someone, take a little bite, compel them to forget and cover up the mark, and let them go. It usually takes a few people to top off the tank that way, but it doesn’t leave a trail and no one gets hurt.” 

Alaric shrugged. It didn’t sound that great, but they did need to survive. As long as no one was hurt, he wasn’t going to complain. “Does your brother do the same thing?” 

Damon shook his head. “No. Stefan has issues with human blood. He feeds from animals.”

“What kind of issues?” Alaric asked. That seemed weird. 

“He’s what they call a ripper. It means that he gets so high off the taste of human blood that he can’t stop and ends up killing every time, ripping their head off in the process since he can’t control his strength. Then, because he’s Stefan, he feels so horribly guilty about it that it eats at him forever.” 

“Do you ever feel guilty about that people you’ve killed?” Alaric asked, knowing that he shouldn’t have as soon as the words were out of his mouth. He didn’t even need the answer. The fact that Damon had told him exactly how many people it had been was enough of an answer. You don’t keep a tally like that unless you’re either sadistic and keeping score or feeding a deep-seated guilt, and Damon didn’t seem much like the sadistic type. 

Damon shrugged. “When I let myself, sure. Some of them deserved it though.” 

“Do you ever feel guilty for Isobel?” Alaric couldn’t help but ask. 

“I wish I hadn’t taken her away from you and dragged you into this world by doing so,” Damon admitted. “But for turning her, no. It was what she wanted. Her choice. No one pushed it on her, least of all me.” 

Alaric sighed and nodded. That was fair. There was nothing more he could say to that other than, “Okay.”

“So I don’t have to worry about getting staked in my sleep or anything?” Damon asked warily. 

“In your sleep?” Alaric asked curiously as they pulled up. “Welcome to the Salvatore Boarding House. I’m Damon Salvatore by the way. There is another cheap motel in town if you’d rather stay there, but I wouldn’t recommend it.” 

“Are boarders expected to make donations to your little catch and release program?” Alaric asked suspiciously. 

Damon laughed. “There aren’t any boarders. Not anymore. This place hasn’t been in operation in over a decade, and no. No one is going to ask for your blood. Though I wouldn’t turn you down if you offered,” he partially joked before getting out of the car. 

“And if I’d rather stay at the motel?” Alaric asked as he got out too. 

“Then Stefan will be here with your car soon and you’ll be free to go. They’ll actually charge you though and it’s not nearly as nice as here.” He turned to look as the car pulled up the drive. “Speak of the devil.” 

When Stefan pulled up, he handed Alaric his car keys and the human put them in his pocket before following them inside, jaw dropping at the sight of the place. It was almost like stepping back in time. He was so distracted that he was startled at the arrival of another man. “Good. You’re back. The funeral is tomorrow, remember.” 

“We weren’t planning on going,” Damon told him. 

“Tough. They’re a founding family. We’re a founding family and since your little heroic stunt the other day, everyone knows you’re in town so you’ll be expected,” Zach told him. 

Damon sighed heavily. He really didn’t want to go, but when he put it like that, there wasn’t much of a choice. He was the one who pulled them out of the water and then left Elena’s memories and stuck around, so it was his own fault. The things he did for that girl. “Fine. We’ll go,” Damon said with a roll of his eyes before turning to Alaric. “Alaric this is Zach. He’s technically our many times great nephew, but for the sake of the townsfolk, he’s our uncle. Zach, this is Alaric. He’ll be sticking around for a bit.”

“Is he a vampire?” Zach asked suspiciously. 

“Vampire hunter actually. Completely human,” Alaric told him, holding out a hand to shake. “It’s a long story,” he said when Zach looked confused as he shook his hand. 

“We were friends in the future, and he always helped us when more unsavory vampires came to town. I just picked him up a few months early,” Damon made the long story short. 

Zach just shook his head and said, “It’s your house. I’m just the caretaker.”

“And the human to keep out unwanted vampires,” Damon laughed. 

“What?” Alaric asked. 

“Most vampires who are at least somewhat stationary have a human in the know who holds the deeds to the house. That way any other vampires have to be specifically invited in. Otherwise anyone can come in at any time,” Stefan explained. “Did we have that problem in the future after you killed Zach?” he asked Damon pointedly. 

“Very much so. I can’t even tell you how many times we almost died in this house,” Damon said unapologetically. He’d already apologized…sort of…and history wasn’t going to repeat itself, so it was a low blow to even bring it up. “And with that, I’m headed out to return a certain trinket. Stef, I’m sure you can help Ric pick a room.” He turned and stormed out, slamming the door behind him. 

“You really shouldn’t antagonize him like that,” Zach said with a sigh. “Even I can see that he’s changed and feels badly about what he did last time around.” 

“I know,” Stefan admitted. “But it’s hard to break those habits sometimes.” He turned to Alaric. “Come on. Let’s find you a room.” 

Damon was back about half an hour later to find Ric sitting on the couch with his computer, no one else in sight. “Where is everyone?” 

“They left for a while. Seemed like they were wary about being around you when you were in a mood,” Alaric said carefully. He was relatively sure that Damon wouldn’t hurt him. They were supposed to be best friends, after all, so he volunteered to stay. 

Damon sighed heavily and went over to pour a drink, pouring Alaric one too and handing it over before plopping on the couch. “I want to be mad at them for not having any faith in me, but objectively I know that they have no reason to. Last time it was still years from now before I stopped flying off the handle and making things worse every time I got upset.”

“Yeah. That makes sense. Doesn’t mean it doesn’t still hurt though,” Alaric said as he took a sip of the drink. 

“Yeah,” Damon said with a sad smile. “It was even more years before I would ever consider admitting that.”

“We all have emotional growth as we get older. It seems to me like you ended up getting stuck at the age you turned and you needed some sort of impetus to find that growth,” Alaric guessed. 

Damon took a sip and swirled it around in his mouth for a moment before nodding. “I can see that.” 

“Was it this love you mentioned that changed that?” Alaric asked. 

“Yeah. Elena,” Damon said wistfully. “I wanted to be a better man for her. I wanted to at least come a little closer to deserving her, even though I never could. I pined for her for a long time while she was with Stefan, but kept my distance because he was my brother and she seemed happy with him. Then when I finally got her. When she fell for me, I kept lashing out every time I was hurt and almost lost her more than once.”

“Did you hurt her?” Alaric asked worriedly. 

“No. No no no. I would die before I would harm a hair on her head,” Damon assured him. “But I hurt other people. I set out to prove that I was the monster that people kept seeing me as, and I pushed her and everyone else away.”

“So she was with Stefan first?” Alaric asked, not sure what to say about that admission. He couldn’t tell him that it was okay, because it wasn’t. The safest bet was to change the subject. 

Damon nodded. “Yeah. She told me once that if she had met me first things might have been different. I hated myself ever since for taking the memory of our first meeting away from her, but deep down I know that I would have destroyed her if she had fallen for me then. I was drawn to her from that first moment you know. I just thought it was because she looked like Katherine, but it wasn’t. She was nothing like that conniving bitch.”

“And by the time you realized that it was too late,” Alaric nodded in understanding.


	10. Chapter 10

“I will never forget the moment I realized it. There was this ball for the Miss Mystic pageant. She was one of the contestants and Stefan was her escort, but he had fallen off the blood wagon and ended up standing her up. They announced her name and named Stefan as her escort. As she came down the stairs and saw that he wasn’t there waiting for her the look on her face just…I knew in that moment that I would do anything for her. Not because she looked like Katherine, but because she was Elena,” Damon said softly as he leaned his head back against the couch and closed his eyes, seeing it all in his mind. 

“So what did you do?” Alaric asked with a smile, liking this side of Damon. 

“The only thing I could do. I slipped over and took Stefan’s place at the bottom of the stairs and we joined the processional and the dance. Thankfully I was more than familiar with it having been to many of those, including the very first, and it was the perfect moment,” he smiled wistfully at the memory before the smile faded. “And then it was over, and we rushed out and I helped her find Stefan and save him from himself so that she could run back into his arms.” 

“But you did it anyway.”

“He was my brother,” Damon said sadly. “I wasn’t going to risk putting her in the middle of that. As long as she was happy with him that was all that mattered.”

“But you got her in the end?”

Damon nodded. “There was another incident later on. I got bit by a werewolf. I was dying. Stefan sacrificed his humanity in a deal to get me the cure from the only source possible. He gave himself over to a madman to save my life. Elena and I worked so hard to find him and save him, and in the process we got closer. I still kept my distance. I wasn’t about to take away the one thing he could have when he was back to himself, but it didn’t stop the feelings from growing. Once he was back, he picked up on it, and asked her to make a choice…” Damon trailed off, remembering the pain of that moment. 

“And she chose you?”

“No,” Damon said with a sigh. “She chose him. But then she was in an accident. Thanks to a doctor experimenting with vampire blood to heal a previous head injury, she had vampire blood in her system and turned. The vampire blood was mine and due to her buried feelings for me it formed a rare sire bond. She and Stefan drifted apart, and I finally had her. Then I found out about the sire bond and let her go. I just couldn’t accept it. Not like that. Once we managed to break the bond though, she told me that she still loved me and that’s when she chose me.” 

“Wow. That’s quite a story,” Alaric said. His own head was spinning, he could only imagine how Damon felt living it. 

“We had our ups and downs, but our love was all-consuming. We couldn’t live without each other. Even when we tried. And then I died and she broke. She very nearly followed me before she found someone that could compel her to forget that she ever loved me. She had her entire brain rewired to think that I was a monster. But I came back.”

“But she got her memories back?” Alaric asked. 

Damon shook his head. “No. The only person who could have given them back was…unavailable. He’d lost the power to do so. But even still…we found our way back to each other. Despite the fact that she thought I was a monster. Despite the fact that she didn’t remember anything between us, we still found our way back. We started over. Fell in love all over again. And then we found the cure for vampirism. She took it, and got all her memories back and it was perfect.”

“But she was human again and you were still immortal,” Alaric pointed out. “Or did you turn her again.”

“She couldn’t have been turned again. Once you take the cure, it’s impossible to ever become a vampire again. But it was what she wanted. She wanted a normal human life and I wanted to give it to her so badly. She wouldn’t let me take the cure right away. She wanted me to be sure. She wanted to be sure that I wasn’t just doing it for her. She even had Stef mess with my head and show me visions of horrible possibilities for our future. Us drifting apart, fighting, me resenting her, even her dying young and leaving me alone, but it didn’t matter. I still wanted it. Even if it all blew up in my face, even a chance of having the perfect life with her was worth it. I wanted to give her a life. To give her children, and grandchildren. I wanted us to grow old together.” A tear slipped from his eye. 

“What happened?” Alaric almost whispered. 

Right before I was about to take it, an evil witch attacked. He put a coma spell on her. She wouldn’t wake up until her best friend died. I would be lying if I said the thought of killing her, or even letting her die from the wounds she’d just sustained didn’t cross my mind, but I couldn’t. I healed her and spent the next six years fighting to keep her alive. Because that’s what Elena would have wanted. Even if it meant spending the next sixty or seventy years alone. I was still going to take the cure when she woke up, but then I died first and ended up back here. Now I get a chance to do it all over again. Better this time. But without the possibility of a cure.” 

“You can’t just find it again?” Alaric asked sadly. 

Damon shook his head. “No. The cost was too high. Getting the cure means waking up an ancient evil that will destroy far too much. I won’t do that and she would be so disappointed in me if I did. No, I will just have to cherish the time I have with her and when she’s gone, I’ll follow, despite the fact that I’ll never see again even there.”

“Why not? Couldn’t you go to the same place?” 

Damon shook his head again. “No. Last time around we might have because the ‘other side’ didn’t exist anymore. That’s where all the supernatural beings go. This time, it’s still there and that’s where I’ll be while she will die as a human and move on to find peace.”

“Then why die, if you won’t be able to follow her anyway?” Alaric asked. 

“Because on the other side, I’ll be alone. No one to push me to move on. No one to care that I can’t even get out of bed because of the grief. No one to hurt when it overwhelms me and I can’t help but lash out. I can’t live without her. I won’t,” Damon said, tears streaming down his cheeks just thinking about it. He suddenly sat up and wiped his cheeks, downing the rest of his drink. “And obviously I’ve had a little too much to drink. Night Ric,” he said as he got up to head upstairs, setting the now empty bottle of bourbon aside. He had let himself fall back into the old habit of sharing everything with his best friend, forgetting that this wasn’t him. Not yet. He was still practically a stranger. He didn’t often get in these maudlin moods, and he hated them. As he walked out of the room, he nearly barreled into Stefan who was standing there with tears on his own cheeks. “How long have you been there?” 

“Since right after you got back,” Stefan admitted. He almost explained why. That he’d left Zach in town where it would hopefully be safe and came back to check on Alaric and make sure that he didn’t need to intervene to save him when Alaric refused to leave. He’d heard how much it hurt Damon that they didn’t trust him though so he didn’t say it. “Damon, look…”

“Don’t Stefan,” Damon cut him off. “I’m all done with the sharing and caring for the night. I’m going to bed.” With that he brushed by his brother and headed upstairs. He ended up drinking a few more glasses of bourbon, here where he didn’t have anyone to talk to and didn’t risk spilling too much until he finally fell asleep. 

Stefan went and plopped down on the couch next to Alaric. “Well I feel like an asshole now.”

Alaric chuckled and shook his head. “Don’t. If you heard from the beginning, then you know that he does understand.”

“He’s just changed so much,” Stefan said looking into the fire. “I mean, he was always the ‘bad brother’. The selfish one. He did what he wanted, took what he wanted, no matter who he hurt in the process. He even promised me an eternity of misery and kept that promise for so long…but now…”

“Sometimes all it takes is the love of a good woman,” Alaric said almost joking, as he stood up. “I think I’m going to head to bed too.” 

Stefan nodded, still staring into the fire, trying to turn everything he learned over in his head. One thing kept coming back though. Damon and Elena would always find their way back to each other. They’d been through so much designed to keep them apart, but their love was so strong that it overcame everything. He vowed that he would do anything and everything to help his brother find his happy ending. It was the least he could do after dooming him to this life in the first place.


	11. Chapter 11

The next morning, Damon was getting ready for the funeral, not sure how he was feeling about going. On one hand, he would get to see Elena again, but on the other, she would be so sad and he couldn’t cheer her up. He wouldn’t be able to take her in his arms and soothe the hurt away. He wouldn’t be able to fix it. He would have to watch her cry from a distance, and that would tear him apart. There was nothing for it though. He couldn’t get out of going. At least he could look good though. He wore a black suit with a charcoal colored shirt, just enough difference to offset the black tie. He fixed his hair up, hating that it was so short at the moment. He couldn’t wait until it grew out a little more. Elena had always liked it longer. 

Once he was ready, he headed downstairs to find Alaric and Zach sitting at the table eating breakfast and soon joined them with a blood bag for his own breakfast. Stefan came down not long after him and kept giving him looks, but Damon ignored it. Finally Stefan had enough and just said, “Damon, can we talk?” 

Damon sighed and got up, following Stefan into the other room before he shut him down. “Tomorrow, Stef. Please. Today is going to be hard enough as it is.”

Stefan deflated and nodded. “Yeah, okay,” Stefan agreed. “Tomorrow then.” 

It wasn’t long before they were heading out, though Ric was staying behind. He didn’t know any of the people involved in the funeral and meeting his somewhat stepdaughter, potential love interest, and possible ward at a funeral was just creepy. Damon, Stefan, and Zach all drove separately. Damon because he wanted the option to bow out at the first opportunity, Zach because they had town council business afterwards. Damon ignored the box of vervain that he saw Zach put in his car. There were a lot of conversations they needed to have soon, but for now he just wanted to get through the day. 

Damon took a few deep breaths before he got out of the car and joined the line to the church where Elena, Jeremy, and Jenna were greeting people. When Damon got to the front, Elena almost smiled at him. “Damon. I’m glad you could make it.” 

“Wait…THE Damon?” Jenna asked, looking the gorgeous man over. 

“Yes, the one who pulled me and Dad out of the car,” Elena said clearly, not wanting Damon to get the wrong idea. 

“I just wish I could have done more,” Damon said sincerely with a sad half smile only to find himself being hugged by Jenna. 

“You saved Elena, and I can’t thank you enough for that. You did your best,” she told him gratefully. 

Damon hugged her back, hoping that he would be able to prevent her death this time, as he felt like a hypocrite. He hadn’t done his best. His best would have been forcing his blood down Grayson’s throat. Still, he accepted it. “You’re welcome.” 

Once she let him go, the thanks were repeated from Jeremy who shook his hand and Elena gave him a hug too and he had to force himself not to hold on for too long or kiss her head, or run a hand through her hair or any of the hundred other things he would have done if they were together, and when it ended, he felt more bereft than before as he walked in and found a seat, soon joined by Stefan while Zach sat up front with the council. “You okay, brother?” Stefan asked. 

“No,” Damon sighed. “I should have given him my blood. I should have saved him.”

“No you shouldn’t have,” Stefan whispered back. “He was a vampire hunter and an Augustine. It would have been the death of us both.”

“Don’t be overdramatic,” Damon hissed. “We just would have had to leave town for a few decades, but Elena would have her father. She would only be mourning one parent instead of both.” 

Stefan got it then. He would have given her up to save her the slightest heartbreak. It was just another piece of evidence that the told Damon was gone. He wracked his brain to find a way to make this easier for him before he thought of one. “And then I would lose my chance with my future love too.” Hopefully, Damon’s newfound selflessness would extend to him. At least enough to ease his guilt a little bit. 

Damon gave a half smile. “That’s true,” he admitted. It didn’t make him feel completely better, but it helped. The service was long and boring and Damon spent most of the time watching Elena, which was why he sat at the back. So no one would notice. He ached so much to be by her side through this. Being here was torture, but he managed to make it through. He joined at the family’s house for about an hour or so, during which time he had a short conversation with Elena who told him that she would be moving back home next week with her aunt Jenna as her guardian. They didn’t get to talk long though before someone else grabbed Elena’s attention to give their condolences. 

It wasn’t long before he found himself cornered by Sheila Bennett, who scrutinized him for a long moment before asking what he knew that she would. “What role did you really play in the accident?” 

“Exactly what you’ve heard,” Damon told her. “I got back literally ten minutes before it happened and didn’t even have a chance to try and stop it. Last time, Elena only got pulled out when she was almost dead already and neither of her parents made it out at all. I tried to save them. For her.”

“Despite the fact that they know about vampires and want to kill them? The fact that they would stop at nothing to keep you away from their daughter?” she asked suspiciously. 

“If it would save Elena from one iota of the pain she is going through right now, I would drive the stake through my heart myself. Excuse me,” he said, blinking back the tears and made his escape. He couldn’t deal with this any longer. 

He went home and opened a new bottle of bourbon, and was soon joined by Ric. By the time Stefan got home two hours later, Damon was pretty close to soused, though Ric had been pacing himself. “Are you…” Stefan started to ask, but Damon cut him off. 

“I swear if you’re about to ask if I’m okay, I’m going to punch you,” Damon slurred. “I just spent the day watching the love of my life suffering through one of the worst things possible and couldn’t even go to her. I couldn’t help her. Does that sound like the makings of okay?” 

“No. It doesn’t,” Stefan admitted, taking the glass that Damon offered him and tossing it back before holding it out for a refill. He tried to put himself in Damon’s shoes, but failed. He couldn’t even imagine loving someone the way Damon loved Elena. They spent the rest of the day drinking, but Stefan never stopped pacing himself the way Ric did once dinnertime rolled around, so Damon and Alaric were the only ones drunk when Zach got home. 

The next day, Damon kept getting glances from his brother, and sighed, jerking his head upstairs before heading up and leaving Stefan to follow him. Damon plopped on his bed, leaning back against the headboard with his hands behind his head. “Okay, talk.” 

“I just wanted to let you know that I’m not going to try and stand in your way. I know you said that Elena and I were together first last time around, but I won’t let that happen this time,” Stefan promised. He knew that Damon probably knew that. At least he hoped he knew that, but that there had to be some doubts there. 

“Good,” Damon said with a grateful smile. “Anything else?” 

“Who did I fall in love with? I mean, if we’re officially back in town now, I might run into her somewhere before school starts and wouldn’t want to end up offending her or something.”

“Caroline Forbes,” Damon told him. 

“The sheriff’s daughter?” Stefan asked with wide eyes. 

“The one and only. Don’t worry though. Liz and I will be great friends soon enough and I’ll make sure she doesn’t give you too much trouble. It’s the least I can do if you’re not going to fight me for Elena.”

“Liz?” Stefan asked incredulously. It still bowled him over that Damon had friends at all, much less so many of them. And of such a variety of ages. The parents and the children, though he supposed that Damon was pretty much in the middle of them if one considered his technical age of twenty five. “Sorry. It just still surprises me that you had so many friends. I’m still getting used to the new you.”

“I know,” Damon told him with a chuckle. “It’s good.” They spent the next few hours doing some brotherly bonding before Damon went looking for Zach.


	12. Chapter 12

Damon found Zach in the kitchen cooking lunch, and he sat down on the counter to talk to him. “I need you to give me your spot on the council,” he started bluntly, knowing that there was no other place to start. 

“Are you crazy? I can’t put a vampire on the council that hunts them! I might as well serve them all up on a platter!” 

Damon shook his head sadly. “If you mean that you’re the one supplying them with vervain, I know that, and fully intend to continue doing so. Stefan and I aren’t the only vampires that come through here and I want them to be protected as much as you do. I have no intention of harming anyone, but who better to help catch not so helpful vampires than one of their own kind?” 

“You can’t be serious,” Zach asked. He knew that Stefan had completely fallen for the good guy routine that Damon was putting on and even made some compelling arguments, but he also knew that Stefan had a bad habit of always making excuses and trying so hard to see the good in Damon until he finally crossed that line. 

“I’m completely serious, Zach,” Damon told him. “This town is an epicenter of supernatural activity, and it’s only a matter of time before the shit starts to hit the fan. I want to be in a position to help with that. I /need/ to be able to help protect this town and I can do so better if I’m on the council.” 

Zach scrutinized him for a long moment, before deciding on a compromise. “I won’t give you my spot, but I’ll pitch the idea of you joining me on it. Kind of a showing the new generation the ropes kind of thing. That way I’ll be there to keep an eye on you.”

“Good enough,” Damon agreed. “But no dropping hints or outright telling anyone what I am.”

“Unless you become a threat,” Zach mostly agreed. 

“Unless you are a hundred percent certain that I am the threat. I won’t be blamed for every attack just because I’m the one you know is here,” Damon said firmly, and Zach nodded. “Great. So when’s the next meeting?” 

“I’ll have to pitch the idea at the next one, then, assuming they agree, you can come to the one after that,” Zach told him, and Damon nodded. It was still sooner than he’d made it last time. Maybe he could do more good. Get in better with the members before everything went to hell. 

“Thanks Zach. Keep me updated,” Damon told him, hopping off the counter and going to find something to do. He dragged Ric out to the grill, not wanting to drink alone, but wanting to be at the social center of the town so he could pick up on all the gossip. They ordered lunch before they hit the bar, and by the time they headed home at closing time, Damon had picked up quite a bit, including the fact that Elena and Matt finally broke up. He’d known that it happened after her parent’s died, but he hadn’t realized that it was that soon after. Unless his arrival moved up the timetable, which was possible. He could see the look in Elena’s eyes when they first met that told him that she was as drawn to him as he always had been to her. He always could read her like a book. 

That Friday night he threw a party. Invited everyone sixteen and older. He knew that Elena wasn’t likely to come, but it was something to do. Sometimes this town could be so boring. Zach rolled his eyes and watched Damon like a hawk throughout the whole party, but even Stefan managed to enjoy himself and even officially met Caroline and Bonnie, as did Damon. He caught the looks from Bonnie like she was trying to figure him out and he assumed that her gran had started training her up and told her what he was. 

Damon tried to ignore it and just spent most of the party dancing, drinking, and having fun. He needed something to snap himself out of the melancholy mood that he’d been in all week. Ever since he got back really. It was getting late and he was pretty close to drunk when he found himself cornered by Bonnie who had been watching him all night. “Can we talk?” she asked. 

“Sure,” Damon told her, leading her upstairs and to his room. 

“Your bedroom?” Bonnie asked disgustedly. “If you’re expecting…”

“No,” Damon said quickly. “I’m not. Believe me. It’s just that the party has overrun everywhere else, including outside. I assumed you would want to have this conversation privately. I can go get a chaperone if it would make you feel more comfortable.”

“No, I’m good,” she told him, confident enough in her newfound skills that she could at least hold him off long enough to get away if he tried anything. “I know what you are.”

“I assumed as much. Your grandmother started training you then like I suggested.”

“Why did you suggest it? Why would you want someone to be strong enough to hurt you?” Bonnie asked suspiciously. 

“Because if you can hurt me, then you can hurt other vampires too. Ones that intend to hurt you or your friends. Did your grams tell you about the time travel?” 

“She did, but it’s just so hard to believe…”

“I know. Trust me. I lived it and I have trouble believing it. In my future, you didn’t have much training at all. You had to muddle through on your own and you still saved my life among others a dozen times, but we lost people too. Good people. I’ll be working to prevent what I know is coming, but more strength on our side is always a good thing. I don’t intend to lose anyone this time around.” 

“So I was a good witch?” Bonnie asked. 

“If you mean good as in moral, you always tried. You were led astray for a while, mostly due to a lack of knowledge, but even then your heart was in the right place. If you mean good in ability, Bon-bon you were the best. The most powerful witch in the world. When Hell itself was cracked open, you managed to redirect the hellfire back in on itself. No other witch in history could have done that.” 

“Don’t call me Bon-bon,” she said, not sure what else to say to that, but the amusement in her eyes betrayed her true feelings. 

“Whatever you say, Bon-bon,” Damon smirked. He could read her almost as well as he could Elena and he could see that she was warming up to him. 

“Grams is worried about me being around you,” she told him. 

“I know. But as I told her, I would do anything to protect you,” Damon said seriously. “You’re the sister I never had. The only person in this world that I would put over you is my soulmate.”

“Elena.”

“Told you that part too did she?” Damon chuckled. 

“She did, and that’s the main reason I want to talk to you. I get that she’s safer with protection because of the whole doppelganger thing, so I’m not going to say that you’re too dangerous to be around her, but you need to know that she’s grieving right now…”

“I know, Bonnie,” Damon said sincerely. “I have no intention of trying anything while she’s vulnerable like this. I hope to be her friend and help her through this, but that’s all until she’s ready for more. I would wait forever for her, and I have forever to wait.”

Bonnie gave a sigh of relief and nodded. “Okay then. But I’m watching you and if you hurt her…”

“I will face the wrath of a Bennett witch,” Damon said with a grin. “I get it.” 

“Don’t think I’ll go easy on you because we’re supposedly friends in the future,” Bonnie teased. 

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Damon smirked. “Was there anything else or should we get back to the party?” 

About that time, the door burst open and Zach came in. “What are you doing, Damon?” he asked worriedly, moving over to Bonnie and looking her over. 

“Talking to a friend,” Damon said, trying to keep the irritation out of his voice. “We were just on our way back down, weren’t we Bon-bon?” 

Zack pulled Bonnie’s collar down to look at her neck before grabbing her wrists to check them as Bonnie rolled her eyes. “He didn’t bite me. He wouldn’t.” 

“You might not think that, but…”

Bonnie held up her wrist. “I’m wearing vervain,” she said pointedly. 

“Right. Okay. You should go back down to the party then,” Zach said relieved. He’d been worried when he noticed that Damon had disappeared upstairs with a young female guest, but he knew they’d been up here for about fifteen minutes and nothing seemed untoward. That didn’t mean he was comfortable with it though. 

“We’ll be down in a few minutes. We’re almost done here,” Bonnie told him and he hesitantly left. “He doesn’t trust you.” 

Damon sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “The person he knows and the person I became are very different. I wasn’t always so…”

“Good?” Bonnie tried to finish when he trailed off. 

“I don’t know that I’d call me ‘good’ even now. Just less bad,” Damon said with a chuckle. 

“Whatever you say, Damie,” Bonnie teased with a shake of her head. From what she heard from Grams and what she’d seen from him tonight, there wasn’t a doubt in her mind that he was a good man. Sure, he had a dark side, and it might be more pronounced than most, but he was a vampire after all. 

Damon groaned and rolled his head back. “Damie? Really?” he asked with a grimace. 

“Payback for Bon-bon,” she smirked as she headed for the door. “You coming?” Damon huffed and followed her back downstairs where she was immediately dragged away by Caroline. Damon tuned in his hearing to that conversation as Bonnie swore up and down that nothing happened between them and they were just friends. He could tell that Caroline didn’t believe her, but it hardly mattered to him. She would figure it out soon enough.


	13. Chapter 13

Wednesday morning found Damon in the kitchen cooking. Stefan was the first one down and gaped at him for a long moment as he worked two different pots and stirred a mixing bowl in a way that looked practiced. “Since when do you cook?” Stefan asked in shock. 

Damon laughed. “Since you decided to try and talk me out of becoming human. You pointed out that Elena doesn’t cook and neither do I and made me eat a tv dinner. I was not looking forward to a lifetime of that, so I started learning to cook.” 

“What are you making? It smells good,” Stefan asked curiously. 

“Eggplant parmesan. I planned to make this for Elena the first night she woke up from her coma when I took the cure. It’s her favorite dish,” Damon said with a wistful smile. 

“And why are you making it?” 

“Because Elena and Jeremy are moving back home today and they’re probably out of all the food that was brought to them for the funeral,” Damon explained as he turned to add some more spices to the sauce and then tested it before smirking. 

“That smells good,” Alaric said as he came into the kitchen. 

“Don’t get too excited. It’s not for us,” Stefan chuckled. When Ric raised a curious eyebrow, Stefan added. “It’s for Elena.” 

Alaric laughed and nodded, glad that his friend was finally doing something other than sitting around waiting. “Good for you, buddy,” he said clapping Damon on the shoulder. 

It took more than two hours to finish it before he headed to the Gilbert house, and he knocked on the door, smiling when Elena was the one who opened the door. “Damon,” she said with a sad smile. “What are you doing here?” 

He held out the casserole dish. “I heard you were moving back home today and I know how stressful that is, especially at a time like this so I brought you all something to eat.”

“Is that…eggplant parmesan?” Elena said in surprise looking in the dish before catching herself. “I’m sorry. Come on in.” She stepped away from the door and opened it up all the way, taking the food and heading to the kitchen to put it on the counter. She came back and sat down on the couch. “Thank you, Damon. Really.” 

“You’re welcome,” he told her with a lop-sided smile. “I also wanted to see how you’re doing.” 

“I’m…okay,” she said sadly, feeling the tears welling up in her eyes again like they did every time someone asked her that. 

“It’s okay not to be okay, you know,” Damon said gently. “I remember when my mother died…it took a long time before I was actually okay again.” 

Elena felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders as she finally let the tears fall. No one had ever told her that before. “It’s just…everyone else seems to be moving on and…” she trailed off as the tears fell heavier. 

Damon couldn’t help but wrap an arm around her and she turned and cried into his chest. “When my mother died, I was the same way,” he told her, having the conversation that he’d had with Caroline when Liz died. “The first few days after it happened weren’t so bad. I was always surrounded by people who cared and it sucked, but I got through. Within the first few days after the funeral though, people stopped coming by and I was more alone than ever. Those next few weeks were the hardest part. Every quiet moment, every time I was alone, it would all bombard me again.” 

“H-how did you get through?” Elena asked through her tears.

“One day at a time,” he leaned his cheek on the top of her head. “That’s the only way.” He could hear Jenna listening in from the kitchen and Jeremy from the top of the stairs and hoped that his story helped them too. He was grateful that they were giving them some privacy though. He didn’t think he could handle talking about this with an entire audience right there. 

After a few minutes, Elena pulled back and said irritated, “Ugh! I am so /sick/ of crying.” 

Damon resisted the urge to chuckle, but couldn’t help the slight smile that twitched his lips. “Then meet me in the backyard. I have something else that will help.” He knew her better than she knew herself and knew exactly what she needed. 

She looked at him curiously as he got up and headed for the front door before shrugging and heading out the back. He came around a few minutes later with a bag and carrying something under his arm. She didn’t realize what it was until he put his hands in the kicking pads. “I don’t know about this…” Elena said warily. She really liked him and didn’t want him to think she was a violent psycho.

“Trust me, Elena,” he coaxed. “Just hit, kick, whatever. Get it out. It’ll help.” 

Elena took a deep breath and threw a punch at one of them, realizing that he was right. It did feel better. She threw another punch and another and then started kicking too, feeling the burden getting lighter with each blow and he just stood there catching every one of them. Eventually she was too tired to go anymore and all but collapsed on the bench. Before Damon could take them off though, Jeremy was there. “My turn?” he asked Damon hopefully. 

Damon grinned and nodded. “Toss your sister a bottle of water from that bag first, and then lets go,” he told the teenager. 

Jeremy leaned down and grabbed a bottle of water for Elena before he started doing the same as she did and with quite a bit more skill. More than Damon would have expected from someone not into martial arts. Latent hunter instincts maybe. Damon had never trained with him before his hunter ability was activated. Damon, of course, had no trouble holding his ground against the onslaught, though there were a few times that he probably would have been knocked off balance by the force of it if he hadn’t been planted so firmly. Definitely had to be latent hunter ability. 

Jeremy went for a long time before exhaustion caught up with him, but rather than quit like Elena had, he kept going until he collapsed to sitting on the ground as he sobbed. Damon smiled sadly, pulling the mits off, and knelt down, beside and behind him and put a hand on Jeremy’s shoulder, remembering the times when he’d been the closest thing to a father figure the kid had. When Elena had gone off to college and Jeremy was his responsibility. He hadn’t been expecting much, but when Jeremy leaned back into the touch, Damon wrapped an arm around his chest and Jeremy sank into the embrace. 

Elena gave a watery smile at the sight. Jeremy hadn’t broken down and cried yet and she had been worried. He’d been keeping it all bottled up, trying to be strong for her and for Jenna. Part of her wanted to go over and take Damon’s place, but she knew that Jeremy would shut down if she did and he needed this. When Damon caught her eyes, she motioned questioningly towards the house, not sure if she should leave or rescue him, but Damon just nodded and jerked his head for her to go, giving her a reassuring smile. 

Jenna had been watching from the window the whole time, and felt her heart swell as she saw how much this was helping them both and when Jeremy broke down and Damon didn’t hesitate to go to him, she knew that this guy was a keeper. She knew that he was closer to her age, but hadn’t missed the way he’d looked at Elena. Normally she would protest the age difference, but in this case, she didn’t see a need. That didn’t mean that a conversation wasn’t in order though, but it could wait. When Elena came in, she hugged her tightly. “He needed that,” Elena said, sorrow still thick in her voice, but the tears were absent now. 

“Yeah. He did,” Jenna agreed. “Tell me more about Damon?” she asked curiously, wondering how he was so good with all this. 

“I don’t know much. I mean, we’ve barely talked. I know he has a younger brother and their mom died, but that’s about it,” she shrugged. Jenna nodded. That explained it if he’d helped his younger brother through something similar. 

Damon just held Jeremy as he cried for quite a while and when he felt the sobs subsiding, he let go and just left his hands on Jeremy’s shoulders, knowing the boy would be embarrassed about this. “You good now, Jer?” he asked gently as he got control of himself. 

Jeremy scrambled to his feet, only not knocking Damon over because he’d been expecting it. “Yeah. Sorry, man,” he said wiping his face quickly. 

Damon stood and reached his hands back to Jeremy’s shoulders, this time facing him. “You lost your parents, Jeremy. There’s nothing to be sorry about. You’re allowed to grieve. You /need/ to grieve.” 

Jeremy sighed. “Yeah. Okay. It’s just…Elena and Jenna…” he shrugged sheepishly. 

“I get it. You feel like you’re the man of the house now and you need to be strong for them,” Damon told him. “You don’t, though. They’re plenty strong on their own and they worry about you when you bottle it all up.” 

“I know. I just can’t help it,” Jeremy admitted. 

“I’ll tell you what. I’ll give you my number and any time you feel like you need to let loose for a while, you give me a call, okay?” Damon knew that Jeremy would spiral without help and how hard Elena had taken that. Jeremy was family to him already, and probably would be officially one day. He would do anything he could to help the kid, especially since it would help Elena too. 

Jeremy took a few deep breaths and considered it before nodding. “Okay. I can do that.” He only agreed because of what Damon had said before about when his mother died. He knew that he would understand. That and the fact that he hadn’t made him feel stupid or childish about this. He didn’t know what it was, but something just told him that he could trust Damon. 

“Good,” Damon gave a half-smile as he reached down to grab a bottle of water from the bag for him. “Now hydrate,” he said in a joking tone. “And I’ll leave the pads so that you and Elena and even Jenna if she wants, can let off some steam together whenever you need to.” 

“Thanks, man,” Jeremy said gratefully as they walked inside.


	14. Chapter 14

Jenna took that opportunity to tell Elena and Jeremy to go wash up for lunch, wanting a moment alone with Damon. She knew she wouldn’t have long though so she didn’t beat around the bush. “What are your intentions with Elena?” 

“Just to be her friend and be there for her,” Damon said honestly. 

“But you want more,” Jenna called him out. 

“Maybe eventually, but I know she’s not ready for that right now and I can wait until she is.” 

“Why? You barely know her,” Jenna asked. 

“I know,” Damon said, skirting his first lie, probably of many. “Did she tell you that we met before the accident?” Jenna shook her head. “Yeah, I saw her walking down the road upset about a fight with her boyfriend and we talked for a few minutes. There was a connection there. At least for me there was. I felt drawn to her somehow.” He could see that he had the romantic in Jenna hooked so he went for the coup de gras, hearing the movement from upstairs telling him that he didn’t have long. “I promise you, Jenna, I have no intention of playing with her heart. If anything more does happen between us, it will be real.” 

Jenna smiled at him and nodded. “Just keep in mind that the age of consent in this state is eighteen,” she warned him. “And you’re how old?” 

“Twenty-five,” he told her his physical age. It wasn’t like he could tell her that he was a hundred and seventy give or take a few years. “But I’m a very immature twenty-five year old,” he joked, getting a laugh from her. 

Jenna knew that once they were a little older the age difference would mean a lot less and Elena had always been mature for her age. She was nearly grown and could be allowed more freedom than the average almost seventeen year old, so she would accept it, but she would still watch carefully. She heard the footsteps coming down the stairs so she asked, “Would you like to stay for lunch?” 

Damon looked at her for a moment, trying to figure out if the invitation was from politeness or a genuine desire for him to stay. When he realized it was the latter, he smiled. “Sure. I did cook it so I guess it’s only fair if I eat some of it too,” he chuckled. 

“/You/ cooked it?” Elena asked as she came into the room and they all sat at the table. 

“Why is that so surprising?” Damon asked amusedly. 

Elena shrugged embarrassedly. “I don’t know. You just don’t really seem like the cooking type.” 

“I wasn’t for the longest time. Then something happened that made me realize that it was a handy skill to have. Now I actually enjoy it,” he told her as they dug in. “You might like to know that it almost came to blows trying to get this out of the house,” he joked, pulling a laugh from everyone. 

“I’m not surprised. It’s really good,” Jeremy told him. 

“Who do you live with?” Jenna asked curiously, wanting to get to know him a little better. 

“My brother, Stefan, our uncle Zach, and currently my best friend Ric is staying with us,” Damon told her. 

“Zach?” she asked with a raise of her eyebrows. “Are you a Salvatore?” She was more than familiar with all the founding families, but only knew Zach in passing. 

“I am, but please don’t hold it against me,” he tried to keep the mood light. 

“I heard about your mother, but what happened to your father?” Jenna asked, trying to get as much info as possible. 

“He died a few years after my mother,” Damon said uncomfortably. 

“That must have been hard for you and your brother,” she said sympathetically, wondering why in his story of lost parents he didn’t mention his father. 

“In some ways,” Damon said evasively. 

Jenna was starting to get the picture and didn’t like what she was figuring out. She hated abusive parents with a passion. She did drop the subject at that. “How old is your brother?” 

“He’s seventeen,” Damon told her. 

“So is your uncle your brother’s guardian now?” 

Damon shook his head. “No, I am actually. We were originally just passing through, but decided to stick around for a while. We like it here.”

“How long will you be sticking around?” Jenna asked as Elena looked like she was trying to will the floor to swallow her whole. She knew a guardian to prospective boyfriend interrogation when she heard one. Jeremy was just watching amused. 

“Probably at least a couple years. I want Stef to be in one place to finish high school. He’ll be a junior this year. After he graduates, we’ll see.”

“Oh? Elena will be a junior this year too,” Jenna told him. 

“I heard you threw a party at your house last weekend,” Elena jumped in, desperate to end this before it got any more painful. 

Damon was more than a little amused at her reaction though he was hiding it well. “I did. Once we decided to stay, I wanted to give my brother a chance to meet some of his schoolmates and make a few more friends myself.” 

“Well my best friends Bonnie and Caroline were raving about it. They said it was a lot of fun.”

“I do try,” he said smugly. “I didn’t get much of a chance to talk to Caroline, though she and my brother seemed to hit it off. I did meet a Bonnie though.”

“They tried to get me to go, but I just wasn’t feeling up to it,” Elena admitted, staring at her plate. 

“That’s completely understandable,” Damon told her. “One day at a time, remember.” Elena couldn’t help but smile as she nodded and looked back up. Damon smiled back before he got up, seeing that everyone was finished eating. “I should be going. Let you finish unpacking and all.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pen, scribbling his number on a napkin. “Here’s my number in case any of you need anything. Don’t hesitate to call.” 

“Thanks Damon,” Jeremy said with a nod, knowing that he really meant all of them after his offer outside. 

Damon pulled out and headed to the nearest big city to feed. He didn’t get home until well after dark, and joined Ric in the library for a drink. “How did it go?” Ric asked him. 

“Pretty well. Jenna figured out that I had a thing for Elena right off the bat and I got a full interrogation,” Damon laughed. “I assured her that I just wanted to be her friend until she was ready for more though.” 

“That’s good,” Ric told him. “So any ideas when I’m going to get to meet them?” 

“Not yet. I can’t exactly show up over there with a stranger for no reason. Especially while they’re still in mourning. I haven’t forgotten my promise though. As soon as they’re out in the world again, I’ll make it happen.” 

“Thanks buddy,” Alaric said gratefully. He understood why it was taking so long and the time he’d spent with Damon had removed all doubts that this man was his best friend. Now and in the future. If nothing else the fact that he knew him so well was a dead giveaway, but he’d found himself getting closer to him with each passing day. He was starting to doubt that he would be leaving at any point, and decided to see if the high school had any teaching openings. Even if he and Jenna bombed out, he could still be happy here. He liked this town. 

Two nights later Damon was wandering around the library looking for something to ready, glass of bourbon in his hand, when he heard the doorbell. He headed over to the door and opened it curiously to find Jeremy Gilbert standing there looking wrecked. “Sorry for just coming by like this,” he said sheepishly. 

“No, you’re fine. Come on in,” Damon said stepping out of the way and opening the door wide. “First things first, does anyone know you’re here?” Jeremy shook his head. “Okay. Then let me just make a phone call and let your aunt know so she doesn’t worry and then we can hang out.” He knew that the family was going through so much right now that if Jeremy didn’t come home they would completely freak out. “Hey Jenna. This is Damon,” he said as she picked up. 

“Damon? What’s up?” she asked. 

“I just wanted to let you know that Jeremy is over here and if you don’t mind, it might be best for him to stay the night,” he said charmingly. 

“Yeah. Okay,” Jenna easily agreed. He needed a solid male influence in his life right now and if Damon Salvatore was willing to step into the role, she would let him. There were much worse influences out there. “Thanks for letting me know, Damon.” She knew that Jeremy probably wouldn’t have called and she would have been panicked when he didn’t come home.


	15. Chapter 15

When Damon hung up, he turned to Jeremy. “And that’s how you do it. I do hope you were taking notes.” 

“On what?” Jeremy asked confused. 

“How to get what you want,” Damon said plopping next to him on the couch. “The most important thing is to let the people responsible for you know where you are and what you’re doing. If they’re not worried, then you get more freedom, but if you just take off, they tighten the leash.” 

Jeremy nodded, cracking a small smile. He hadn’t considered it like that, but it made sense. “And if I want to be somewhere that they don’t want me to be? Would you cover for me?” 

“Within reason,” Damon told him. He definitely had no intention of being a good influence, but he would make sure that Jeremy stayed safe at least. “As long as I know where you are in case something happens and it’s not recklessly stupid, yes. I will cover for you.” Jeremy gave him a grateful smile. “Now. First rule of casa de Salvatore. What happens here, stays here. Got it?” When Jeremy nodded, Damon grabbed the bottle of bourbon. “Good. Now. You want a drink?” 

“Yeah. Please,” Jeremy said in almost relief. 

Damon poured him one and handed it over and Jeremy took a long drink and started coughing uncontrollably. Damon laughed and patted him on the back. “Easy there little Gilbert. You’ll want to sip slowly. At least until you’re used to it.” 

“Are we really letting a fifteen year old drink?” Ric asked as he came in with his own glass. 

“Why not?” Damon asked with a smirk. 

“Umm…maybe because both Elena and Jenna will kill you if they find out?” 

“Hence the first rule, which is….Jeremy?” 

“What happens here stays here,” Jeremy finished. 

“There you go,” Damon said clapping the teenager on the shoulder. Ric shook his head amusedly, but didn’t say anything else. He felt like he’d done his duty by pointing out the problem. If they didn’t want to listen to him that was on them. “Jer, this is my buddy Ric.”

“Nice to meet you,” Jeremy said with a nod. 

“Likewise,” Alaric said. It wasn’t the member of the family he’d expected to meet first, but he wasn’t going to complain. At least he had an in now. The three of them sat there for hours, liquor flowing, as they talked, glad that Stefan was out and Zach was already in bed. There was a lot about Jeremy’s parents, including a few tears, but no full on breakdowns. Whenever the tears made an appearance, Damon reached a hand out and gave Jeremy’s shoulder a comforting squeeze, letting him know it was okay. 

By the time they were ready to turn in for the night, Jeremy was so drunk he could hardly stand. Damon grabbed him a bottle of water and helped him up the stairs. Once he was sitting on the bed in the room next to Damon’s, he handed him the glass of water. “If you don’t want a bad hangover, you need to drink this whole thing before you go to sleep, so come on. Down the hatch,” he coaxed. It took a little bit, but Jeremy finished the bottle of water before Damon let him lay down and he pulled off Jeremy’s shoes before heading to his own room to pass out. 

The next morning, Damon was up early and headed downstairs to make pancakes. Zach had already eaten and left like he usually did, so Damon just cooked for Jeremy, Ric, and himself and Stefan to keep up appearances. The smell of the bacon dragged everyone else downstairs about the time the food was hitting the table. Alaric looked like hell, but Jeremy looked decent. Not great, but not wrecked either. “How the hell are you so chipper?” Ric asked the teenager. 

“Because I made him drink a whole bottle of water to rehydrate before he went to sleep,” Damon chuckled. 

“Gee thanks. I appreciate your concern for me,” Ric joked. 

“Hey I’ll nurse the kid through his first drinking experience, but you’re a grown man. You should know better,” Damon laughed. 

“Shut up and pass the syrup,” Alaric grumbled making Jeremy laugh. 

After breakfast, Damon invited Jeremy out to check on his car. They didn’t actually do much with the car. It was mostly an excuse to talk so that Damon could see how he was doing and subtly fish for information on how Elena was doing. And to give Damon a chance to pick his pocket. He took Jeremy home around lunchtime and stopped to grab takeout at the grill on the way. Before they went in though, Damon told Jeremy, “Now pay attention. You’re about to get another lesson on how to get what you want. Freely admit to little things to draw suspicion from the bigger ones.” 

Jeremy looked curious as they headed to the door and Jeremy invited Damon in as Jenna came out of the kitchen. “I brought some takeout for lunch since the grill was on the way,” he told Jenna as he handed her the bag. 

“Thanks, Damon. We were just going to have sandwiches or something so this is appreciated. And thanks for helping Jeremy out last night.” 

“Anytime. Really. I should probably let you know, as his guardian and all, he was wound pretty tight so I gave him a little drink to loosen him up. I kept it under control though and didn’t let it go too far,” he admitted. 

Jenna chuckled and nodded. “That’s fine. There’s nothing wrong with a drink or two under controlled circumstances at his age,” she told him. Most fifteen year olds were drinking anyway out with their friends. She could live with him having a drink or two with a trusted adult. 

Jeremy looked at Damon like he was the most amazing thing in the world after that, but quickly wiped the look from his face. He definitely had a new role model though, and would eagerly soak up all the lessons Damon could teach him, and decided to try to expand on last night’s lesson. “Thanks aunt Jenna, and I’m sorry I disappeared last night without telling you where I was going. I was just really upset and didn’t even think.” 

Jenna smiled and hugged him tightly. “That’s okay. Just try to remember to keep me in the loop in the future okay?” 

“I will,” Jeremy promised, catching Damon’s proud nod over his aunt’s shoulder. 

“Well I should get going…”

“You’re welcome to stay for lunch,” Jenna offered. “You did bring it, after all.” 

“If you’re sure,” Damon said with a nod. 

“Elena! Lunch!” Jenna called and Damon turned to the stairs with a smile as Elena came down. 

“Damon!” Elena exclaimed with a smile. “I didn’t know you were here.”

“I was just dropping Jeremy off, and Jenna was nice enough to invite me to stay for lunch,” Damon told her. 

Lunch went well, with plenty of roving conversation before Damon headed out, making a few stops on the way home. “Hey Ric. I got you your introduction, assuming all goes well.”

“Oh?” he asked. 

“Yep,” Damon smirked and tossed him a wallet. “Too bad Jeremy left his wallet here and I was already out so I couldn’t return it myself. Have fun.” 

“Seriously, Damon?” Ric rolled his eyes. 

“Well it’s either that or wait until the founder’s ball next week and have the first meeting in that kind of stressful environment. At least this way you might even get a date for the ball.” 

Alaric laughed and shook his head. “I doubt that, but it’s worth a shot.” He headed out for the Gilbert house and knocked on the door when he got there. When the door was opened by a blonde, he knew it had to be Jenna. Damon had told him that Elena was a brunette like Jeremy. “Hi, you must be Jenna. I’m Alaric, Damon’s friend.”

“Hi Alaric,” Jenna said with a smile. She wasn’t at all surprised that Damon’s friends were as hot as he was. 

“Hi. I’m sorry to drop by like this, but I found Jeremy’s wallet. Damon was busy, but he said that it wouldn’t be a problem if I brought it by for him…”

“No, it’s fine. Thank you. Would you like to come in?” she asked. 

“Sure. Thanks,” Alaric said with a grin. Damon was a genius, he unknowingly echoed Jeremy’s thoughts from earlier. 

“Jeremy!” Jenna called, and the boy in question came in from outside all sweaty. “Alaric found your wallet. You must have left it at the Salvatore’s.”

“Oh. Thanks Ric. I appreciate it,” Jeremy said gratefully as he set it on the counter. “You want to come hold the pads for me? Elena can’t take the hits so well.”

“Yeah, sure,” Alaric said with a shrug. “If you don’t mind, of course,” he asked Jenna. 

“No. Please. Go ahead,” she said amusedly, watching with a smile as Alaric went out and after a brief introduction he took the pads from Elena and let Jeremy wail on them for a while before it was Elena’s turn. She watched him correct her technique a few times and then praise her as she got it right. How did they get so lucky to have two such great guys come into their lives when they needed them most?

Alaric remembered Damon mentioning that he helped train both of these kids to fight so saw no problem with correcting their techniques here and there. He wasn’t going to go full out until or unless they asked, of course, but little bits was fine. At least he hoped so.


	16. Chapter 16

Alaric came back in with Elena and Jeremy who both went upstairs to shower. “Thanks for that,” Jenna told him. “I’m sure that’s not what you had in mind when you stopped by to drop off a wallet,” she joked. 

“Not really, but I’m not complaining. They’re good kids,” Alaric told her. 

“Do you have kids?” she started fishing for information. 

“No. I always wanted them, but my wife didn’t. Eventually it ended up splitting us up,” he said. Damon had warned him against saying that Isobel was dead because it would come out eventually and cause problems. “Goes to show that the important questions should be discussed before marriage, I guess.” 

“Yeah, that’s usually helpful,” Jenna chuckled. “How long ago did you two split?” 

“Two years ago. She actually took off in the middle of the night without a word,” he told her. 

“Oh wow. That’s awful,” Jenna said sympathetically. When the conversation started to wane, she scrambled for another topic. “What do you do?” 

“I was a professor at Duke, but I was tired of the city life. Damon invited me to check out his hometown with him and I love it here so far, so I’m gonna see if they have any openings at the high school for next year. What about you?” 

“I’m actually going for my PhD at the moment. Psychology.” 

“That’s definitely an interesting field,” Ric said with a grin. He could see how he fell for this one last time around. “So Damon was telling me about this founder’s ball coming up next weekend…” he trailed off, trying to tell from her responses which of the two questions he should ask. 

“Oh? Is that something you’d be interested in?” she asked nervously, hoping this was going where she thought it was. He seemed like a really nice guy and she could use a nice guy in her life right now. 

“I would, despite the fact that I’m not the best dancer in the world. Would you, maybe, want to go with me?” he bit the bullet and asked. 

“I’d like that,” she said with a grin. 

“Good. Great. I’ll pick you up around five then?” he said hopefully. 

“That sounds perfect.”

“There is one other thing that I wanted to ask you about the ball. For Damon, really,” Alaric said, getting to the backup question if she hadn’t reacted well to his bringing up the subject. 

“And what’s that?” she asked. 

“Well, he knows that Elena isn’t ready to date anyone seriously right now, but he also knows how important it is to girls to have dates for these sorts of things, so he was wondering if you thought it would be a good idea for him to ask her or if it would be too much.”

Jenna considered that for a moment before shrugging. “I think that as long as it’s just a casual date for the event and not anything serious, she would be okay. I don’t know if she wants to go at all though.” 

“I think that’s between the two of them to figure out,” Alaric chuckled. “He just wanted your opinion on whether she would be ready. He doesn’t want to risk pushing her into something she’s not ready for.”

“That’s very noble of him,” Jenna said with a smile. “Can I ask you something now?” 

“Of course.”

“Do you think I’m a bad guardian for allowing my not quite seventeen year old niece to date a twenty five year old man?” 

Alaric considered the loaded question for a moment before coming to a conclusion on his answer. “I think that’s a tricky subject. On one hand, she’s just over a year away from being able to make her own decisions on everything, but at the same time you’re still responsible for her well-being. It’s definitely something to be wary of, generally speaking, but it’s situational. In this situation, no. I don’t. Damon is a good guy and he would die before he ever hurt her or allowed her to be hurt.”

“So she’s safe with him, you think?” Jenna asked. She trusted Damon as much as she trusted anyone, but a second opinion, especially from someone who knew him so well, wouldn’t go amiss. 

“There isn’t a doubt in my mind of that,” Ric said honestly, remembering the night they’d talked about her and the complete and utter devotion that Damon had for her. He had been married and he couldn’t imagine feeling so strongly for another person. He didn’t think Jenna would succeed if she tried to keep them apart anyway. They were confirmed soulmates after all. 

“Okay. Good. I mean, I thought I was doing the right thing, but it’s nice to hear it from someone else.” 

“I’m always happy to lend and ear or an opinion,” Alaric said with a smile as Jeremy and Elena came down the stairs. “I should get going though. I’m supposed to be meeting Damon at the grill for drinks soon.” 

“Of course. I’ll see you next weekend,” Jenna said with a smile as he left. She was subject to teasing about her date for the rest of the night, but that abruptly stopped from Elena when her phone rang after dinner. 

“Hello?” she said questioningly, not recognizing the number. 

“Hi Elena. It’s Damon,” he said. 

“Oh, hi Damon,” she said with a smile as she rushed upstairs to take it in her room. 

“I was wondering…do you have an escort to the founder’s ball yet?” he asked, trying to tamp down his nerves. The ‘you can ask but no promises’ answer from Ric wasn’t exactly a ringing endorsement of the idea. 

“No. I don’t. I wasn’t even sure if I wanted to go,” she admitted.

“I understand. If you did decide to go though, I would be happy to escort you,” Damon offered. 

“Yeah, okay,” Elena breathed out. 

“Yes I can definitely escort you or I can if you decide to go?” Damon asked with a hint of amusement in his voice. 

“You definitely can,” Elena said with the brightest smile she’d had since the accident. 

“Okay. I’ll pick you up around five?” 

“Okay. I’ll see you then,” Elena said managing to hang up the phone before she squealed in happiness. She hadn’t dreamed that she would even have a chance with the gorgeous older man, but he had asked her to the ball. It was like a dream come true. She rushed down the stairs. “Aunt Jenna. We need to go shopping.” 

Jenna laughed and nodded. She needed a new dress for the ball too. “I’m guessing that means a certain dashing gentleman has asked you to accompany him next weekend?” she teased, getting her back for the teasing about Alaric. Elena’s only response was a bright smile, and Jenna tilted her head curiously at her. She hadn’t seen Elena this happy in weeks. Scratch that. She’d never seen Elena this happy. Maybe Damon was onto something with the whole connection thing and them being drawn together. 

“Great. Which means I’m the only one stuck without a date,” Jeremy muttered. 

Elena frowned and wrapped an arm around Jeremy’s shoulders. “I’m sorry, Jer. Maybe I could see if Bonnie wanted to go with you since she would need an invite from a founding family member to be able to go?” 

“Whatever,” Jeremy said sulkily as he headed up to his room. 

Elena sighed sadly and leaned back against the couch. “Maybe I shouldn’t go.”

Jenna sat down next to her and wrapped an arm around her. “No, Elena. You should definitely go. You’re allowed to be happy.” If she didn’t want to go because she was still hurting too much then Jenna would support her, but she couldn’t not go just because of Jeremy. That wasn’t fair to any of them. Including Damon. 

“Do you think I should see if Bonnie will go with him or leave it alone?” 

“I think…we should wait until tomorrow to talk to him and see if he wants that,” Jenna suggested. The next morning, Jeremy was a little more into the idea, so Elena called Bonnie who agreed so she joined Elena and Jenna in her shopping for dresses for the ball. 

When Damon and Ric got home, Stefan was pacing in the living room, and Damon chuckled. “You look more broody than usual today.” 

“I asked Caroline Forbes to the ball,” Stefan blurted out. 

“Good for you little bro,” Damon smirked. “So what’s got you all broody about that.”

“What if I only like her because you said we were married and in love in the future? You said she changed a lot before we got together. What if…”

Damon rolled his eyes and grabbed Stefan’s shoulders to stop his pacing. “Stef. Relax. The fact that she changed so much after becoming a vampire means that those traits are already a part of her. You know how that works. Maybe being with you will bring them out sooner. As far as why you like her…forget about what I said. Forget about your possible future together. Just see where it goes and have fun getting there.” 

Stefan took a few deep breaths before nodding. “Since when are you the wise big brother?” he teased. He almost felt like he had a real brother now and he had forgotten how much he missed it. Damon laughed and poured them all drinks before bed.


	17. Chapter 17

When the night of the ball rolled around, all three of them were pacing nervously while Zach laughed at them. He’d been warming up more to Damon and almost even believed that he’d changed now. He was feeling a lot better about pitching him as a member to the council tonight at least. He still planned to keep an eye on him though. 

Damon left about twenty minutes before the rest. He had agreed to take Jeremy to pick up Bonnie also, so he was picking them up a little early. He’d given the little Gilbert and Ric both a few dancing lessons over the course of the week. Neither of them were that great, but they wouldn’t embarrass themselves. He’d also given Jeremy some pointers on how to greet his date. As much as he’d liked Bonnie and Enzo together, they were brought together by conflict that would hopefully be avoided this time. Jeremy and Bonnie had been good together too, and were torn apart by that same conflict. Either way, he was going to give them every chance. If they crashed and burned, then so be it. 

Damon pulled up in front of the Gilbert house and took a few deep breaths getting ready to pretend that this wasn’t the first night of the rest of his life, before he got out of the car and went to knock on the door. He sucked in a sharp breath when Elena answered and it took a moment before he managed to find words. “You look beautiful,” he breathed out, taking her hand and pressing a kiss to the back of it. 

“Thank you,” she said, feeling just as affected as he was. “You look amazing too.” 

The trance was broken by Jeremy clearing his throat as he came downstairs and Damon’s lips twitched in amusement as he placed Elena’s hand in the crook of his arm. “We ready?” he asked both of them. 

“Yeah. Let’s go,” Jeremy said following them to the car and trying to hide his own nerves. Only Damon knew about the crush he had on Bonnie, but he’d promised not to say anything. He just hoped he could pull off the greeting as smoothly as Damon did. When they pulled up at Bonnie’s grandmother’s house, Damon gave him an encouraging look as he got out and walked up to the door. When Bonnie answered, Jeremy took a deep breath and tried. “Y-you look beautiful,” he stammered a bit before taking her hand and kissing the back of it.

In the car, Elena chuckled and looked at Damon. “You taught him that didn’t you?” 

“Of course,” Damon easily admitted. “What’s the point in having an awesome older friend if he’s not going to give you some tips about girls.” Elena laughed. 

Back at the door, Bonnie couldn’t help but smile at Jeremy. She had been rather iffy about this whole situation. This was her best friend’s kid brother. He definitely didn’t look like a kid right now though. “Thanks Jer. You look nice too.” She was once again pleasantly surprised when Jeremy put her hand in the crook of his arm, walked her to the car and opened the door for her and they headed to the ball. 

The timing ended up being nearly perfect. Jenna and Ric were just heading inside when they walked up and Stefan and Caroline were just pulling in. Damon paused at the door, having to wait until the point in the welcome where he was actually invited in, and then he escorted Elena to the ballroom. As tempted as he was to make straight for the bar, he didn’t want Elena to think he was a drunk so he refrained and spent some time mingling before the dancing would start. 

When Stefan and Caroline came in, the three girls split off for a bit to chat, and Damon had no shame listening in while he hung with Jeremy and Stefan. Caroline and Elena were gushing about their dates and even Bonnie was admitting that Jeremy was particularly charming. Stefan smacked him after a minute and whispered too low for Jeremy to hear. “Stop eavesdropping.” 

“But that’s one of the perks,” Damon joked just as softly. “Besides, don’t you want to know what she’s saying about you?” 

“I want to give her her privacy,” Stefan countered. 

“Okay then I won’t tell you,” Damon grinned before turning back to their conversation before Jeremy noticed the little aside, but still kept half on ear on the girls. They returned to their dates before long though and Jenna and Ric walked up at the same time

“Having fun yet?” Jenna asked the group amusedly. 

“Nothing’s even happened yet,” Elena said with a roll of her eyes, not wanting to admit that just being here with Damon was enough to have her on cloud nine. 

Damon could read her like a book though and knew exactly what she was thinking and gave the hand in his arm a squeeze. Thankfully it was only a few more minutes until the dancing started and all of the couples headed to the dance floor ready to kick this thing off. Damon twirled Elena around the floor expertly. She didn’t quite know him as well as she had in the future, so he couldn’t pull off the fancier stuff, but it was more than good enough to impress her. 

After the first dance, they danced two more before taking a break and Damon finally hit the bar. He needed something to steady his nerves. He was doing his best not to let on just how deeply he felt for her, but it was hard. 

Ric noticed Damon’s hands shaking as he drank and used Jenna and Elena’s conversation to slip away and put a comforting hand on Damon’s shoulder. He knew how difficult this was for his best friend. To be here with the love of his life that doesn’t know him at all. It was probably even harder than when she lost her memories, because at least then they were there, but just buried. This time he truly was starting over. “You could just tell her, you know.”

“What, that I’m her soulmate who travelled back in time to find her?” Damon scoffed. “No. I will tell her everything the day she tells me she loves me. Not before. I never want her to wonder if she just feels that way because she thinks she should.” 

Ric nodded. It made sense, and he knew that. He just wished he could make it easier on Damon in the meantime. Damon took a deep breath and finished his drink before they both headed back to the girls in time to hear Jenna say, “I didn’t know Jeremy could dance so well.”

“I’m sure Damon had something to do with that,” Elena chuckled. 

Damon came up behind her and draped an arm over her shoulder’s companionably. “I admit there were a few dance lessons this week.” 

“Thank you, Damon,” Elena said with a bright smile. “He seems like he’s having fun and so is Bonnie.” 

They chatted for a few more minutes before they took to the dance floor again. Damon just couldn’t get enough of having Elena in his arms, even if it couldn’t be the way he wanted yet. During another break, when he was on his way to grab a drink, Bonnie passed him and whispered, “I need to talk to you at some point tonight.” 

Damon nodded and continued on to get a drink before heading back to where Bonnie and Jeremy were talking to Elena. “Would you mind if I take Bonnie for a spin around the floor?” he asked the Gilberts. When they both shook their heads, he smiled and held out a hand to the witch in invitation. When she took it, he looked at Jeremy and jerked his head towards Elena and Jeremy got the hint and went to dance with his sister. Once they were dancing, Damon asked, “What’s up, Bon-bon?” 

“Grams wanted me to tell you that if you can get her something made of cobalt, she found a protection spell that should work to keep anyone from realizing what Elena is unless they are specifically told,” Bonnie told him. 

Damon nodded as he thought. “It’ll have to be custom made, but I can do that. Do you know if putting vervain in it would mess up the magic?” 

“She wondered if you would ask that and no. It won’t,” Bonnie told him, glad that he wanted her so protected, even against himself. 

“Would I still know, though? I’d like to know that she will need extra protection,” Damon asked. 

“She’s not sure. Since you have all the memories of the future and her being a doppelganger is so important in them, you probably will, but if not, one of us will tell you since the spell will be anchored to us,” Bonnie explained. 

“Okay. Good enough. Thank you, and thank your grams for me too. I’ll get something as soon as I can,” Damon told her as the song ended and they headed back to their dates.


	18. Chapter 18

Damon danced a few more songs with Elena before the next partner switch. They were taking a break and talking when Stefan and Caroline came up. “Elena, would you like to dance?” Stefan asked, looking at both Elena and Damon for an answer. Elena looked at Damon who nodded that he didn’t mind, so Elena took Stefan’s hand and headed to the dance floor. 

“Caroline?” Damon asked, holding out his hand in invitation and she smiled and took it. Damon noticed her keep looking worriedly at Elena and Stefan though. “You don’t have to worry about him, you know.” 

“What do you mean?” Caroline asked with a blush as she turned her attention back to her dance partner. 

“He really likes you, and he’s one of the most loyal people you’ll ever meet. He’s not interested in Elena,” Damon assured her. 

“Everyone else is,” she muttered. 

Damon chuckled, remembering her rants well from the last time around when he was using her. “From what I’ve seen, you just have a way of intimidating people is all,” Damon decided to try and help her out. He owed her that much. 

“I’m not intimidating,” she said irritated before looking a little insecure. “Am I?”

“Yeah, you kinda are,” Damon chuckled, letting her know that he wasn’t trying to be mean about it. “I can tell you’re a very intense person, and there’s nothing wrong with that. You’re young, Caroline and still figuring out who you are and how you fit in the world, but would you like some advice?” 

“Okay,” she said worriedly. 

“I think that you spend so much time trying to make everything perfect all the time because you want to help make people happy, yes?” Damon asked, and she nodded. “That’s what I thought, but it tends to come off like you care more about the things than the people involved. If you start paying more attention to the people instead, you’ll find it much easier to get on.”

“How do you know so much about me?” she asked suspiciously. 

Damon was kicking himself internally as his mind scrambled for an explanation. “Stefan talks about you a lot, and you really think I’m not gonna do some asking around about someone whose caught my little brother’s attention?” he said in an easygoing manner. 

“Right,” Caroline relaxed as they headed back to their dates when the song ended. “That makes sense.” 

As they took the dance floor, Stefan asked Elena, “So you and my brother huh?” 

“We’re not like, a couple or anything. He’s just my date for tonight,” Elena told him. 

“I know, but you two look good together,” Stefan told her, trying to talk him up to her. 

“Thanks,” Elena said with a blush. “How are you both such good dancers?” 

Stefan chuckled. “We learned from a young age. Our family was big into events like this. I’m a little better at the technical side, but Damon is much more graceful.”

“I can tell,” she grinned. 

“Look, about Damon. Be careful with him?” Stefan asked hopefully. 

“Careful how?” she asked worriedly. Was he implying that his brother was dangerous?

“Damon is a lot more fragile emotionally than he lets on,” Stefan explained, not wanting her to think what she was apparently thinking. Two weeks ago, he would definitely have meant that, but not anymore. He just didn’t want to see his brother hurt if she pulled away too hard. Damon expected her to pull away with everything going on right now and Stefan understood that. He just wanted her to do it gently. 

Elena relaxed and a soft smile lit her face. “I will,” she promised. She knew that she wasn’t ready to get involved with someone right now, and now she knew that she needed to talk to Damon about that, but she would wait until the night was over. She didn’t want to lead him on, but she really liked him a lot. She just hoped that she wouldn’t lose her chance. 

A little later, Damon and Elena headed over to Jenna and Ric and Damon asked Jenna to dance, wanting to get some time with her too, if nothing else to help butter her up more. Ric had told him about her nervousness about him and Elena. “Thank you for tonight, Damon. Elena really needed to get out and forget for a little while,” Jenna told him. 

“I know. Just do me a favor and keep an eye on her tomorrow?” Damon asked hopefully. 

“Why?” 

“Because in my experience, she’s likely to feel guilty for enjoying herself tonight with her parents gone and I don’t want that guilt to set in too deeply,” Damon told her. 

Jenna smiled brightly at him and nodded. “I will and I’ll talk to her about it.” Her fears about him were disappearing more and more as she spent time with him. He truly cared about Elena and wanted what was best for her and that was all she could ask for. She had already had the ‘she’s not ready for a relationship’ talk with him so saw no need to beat the dead horse. She did hope that he remembered that though. They had a bit more light conversation before the dance was over. 

It was towards the end of the night, while they were sitting down talking when a song came on that made Damon’s breath hitch. Before he could make his escape, Elena said, “Oh, I love this song,” and looked at Damon hopefully. 

Damon took a deep breath before he got up and held his hand out to her, despite not knowing if he could do this. He could deny her nothing though. If she wanted to dance, he would. At least he would try. By the end of the first chorus, he broke. “I’m sorry. I can’t do this,” he said shakily as he walked quickly out to the balcony, leaving her standing on the dance floor. 

Bonnie saw the scene and the tears welling up in Elena’s eyes as she stood there, hurt, and waffled about who she should go after, but decided the best way to fix this was to make Damon fix it, so she excused herself from Jeremy and slipped off after Damon. 

Jenna also saw what happened and immediately made her way over to Elena and wrapped an arm around her shoulders and led her off the dance floor to try and comfort her, not noticing Ric rush after Damon too. 

Damon got to the balcony, swallowing around the lump in his throat as he leaned on the railing and put his head in his hands. “What was that?” Bonnie asked irritated as she walked up beside him. 

“Damon? You okay, buddy,” Ric asked, putting a hand on his shoulder and giving Bonnie a look that caused her anger to deflate and worry to set in. 

“That’s the song,” Damon said voice quivering as he tried to hold back the tears. 

“What song?” Bonnie asked gently. 

“When…when she went into her coma I went into her mind to say goodbye. We danced on the road where we met under the stars to…to that song. Then I spent the next six years alone before coming back here…” 

Bonnie’s eyes filled with tears too and she pulled him into a hug. “I’m sorry. I can’t even imagine…” 

She felt a few tears fall into her hair as he hugged her back, but then he took a deep breath and stepped away. “Sorry,” he said wiping his face. 

“You have nothing to apologize to me for,” Bonnie said gently. “But you do need to apologize to Elena. She doesn’t understand and you hurt her a lot.” 

“I know,” Damon said with a sigh, running a hand through his hair, and messing it up. 

“Don’t worry,” Ric told him. “She’ll forgive you. As long as you don’t wait too long.” 

Damon nodded and headed back inside, glad that the song was over now, and he scanned the room looking for Elena, finally finding her in the corner being comforted by Jenna. He walked over, chewing his lip nervously. “I’m so sorry, Elena. That song is just…attached to some very painful memories for me. I didn’t mean to leave you like that.” 

“Then why even dance to it in the first place?” Jenna asked in irritation. 

“Because I wanted to,” Elena said softly, noticing his red-rimmed eyes and messed up hair, and remembering what Stefan had said about him being emotionally fragile. 

Damon gave a sad smile, remembering how she always defended him no matter how horrible he’d been. At least this time it wasn’t as serious of a situation, but he had promised himself when he came back that he would never put her in a position to defend him again. “I still should have known better. I should have known that I wouldn’t be able to handle it. I’m sorry.” Jenna softened at that and gave him a knowing smile with a nod of forgiveness. “Let me make it up to you with another dance?” he asked hopefully, holding out his hand. Elena smiled and took it, wiping her own tears with her free hand as they headed out to the dance floor again. 

Ric stepped back up next to Jenna when he saw them walk off, and told her, “Don’t hold that against him?” 

“Do you know why he reacted that way?” Jenna asked curiously. 

“I do, but it’s rather personal. He wouldn’t like me sharing,” Ric told her, not sure how to explain without the whole time travel thing or making her think that he was still pining for an ex. Thankfully Jenna accepted that. 

There were only a few more songs before the party ended, and Damon danced all of them with Elena. Ric and Jenna were taking Bonnie and Jeremy home since Damon and Elena had picked them up, so Damon and Elena got home first. He walked her to the door and she took a deep breath before saying, “I think we should talk.” 

“I agree,” Damon said, pulling her over to sit on the porch swing. “Let me go first?” When she nodded, he said, “I know that you have a lot on your plate right now, and you’re not ready for more than this. Our timing kinda sucks,” he chuckled wryly trying to lighten the mood before the next part and she huffed a laugh along with him. “But I still want to be your friend Elena. I can wait until you’re ready for more than that.” 

She gave a relieved smile and nodded. “Thank you for understanding, Damon, and I would love to have you for a friend.” She couldn’t believe that he was willing to wait for her and just hoped that he meant it. She’d never felt anything like this before and didn’t want to lose it just because she was still hurting too much to accept it. 

“Then we’re agreed,” Damon said as he got up, taking her hand and pressing a lingering kiss to the back of it. “Thank you for a wonderful evening, Elena.” 

“Goodnight, Damon,” she said with a smile, watching as he walked off before she went in the house.


	19. Chapter 19

Ric drove Jenna, Jeremy, and Bonnie to Bonnie’s grandmother’s house to drop her off and Jeremy walked Bonnie to the door. His heart felt like it was beating out of his chest, but he took a chance and leaned over to kiss her cheek. “Thanks for coming with me Bonnie. Goodnight.” 

Bonnie smiled and squeezed his hand, “Goodnight, Jeremy. Thank you,” she said as she headed inside, wondering how the heck she found herself liking him so much and wondering how Elena would feel about that. She suddenly remembered the amused knowing looks that Damon kept sending them all night and decided that she needed to know why. Had they been together in the future? Had he had something to do with Elena asking her to go with Jeremy in first place?

When Jeremy got back in the car, Jenna asked amused and proud, “When did you turn into such a gentleman?”

Jeremy laughed, still on a high from the amazing night. “Since Damon gave me some tips.” 

Jenna smiled and turned back to the front as Ric pulled out of the driveway. Damon really had been a blessing in their lives at the time when they could most use one. She noticed that he was rather old-fashioned in a lot of ways, and she liked that. It was a good influence, especially on Jeremy. There were much worse things. She soon put that out of her mind though and focused on her own date, moving out of guardian mode. Ric was rather gentlemanly too, just not in as old-fashioned of a way. She remembered him saying that he wasn’t the best dancer, but he hadn’t been bad and danced with her much more than she’d expected when she agreed to go with him. It really was a wonderful night. 

When they got home, Jeremy headed straight inside, giving her and Ric some privacy to say goodnight at the door. “I had a great night, Jenna.”

“Me too,” she said with a smile. 

“Would you want to have dinner sometime?” he asked hopefully, hoping that he was reading the signs right. 

“I would love to,” Jenna told him. “Friday night?” she suggested. 

“I’ll pick you up at six?” he suggested back and she nodded. He took a chance and leaned down, pressing a soft chaste kiss to her lips and she sank into it. “Goodnight, Jenna.” 

“Goodnight, Ric,” she said happily, turning to go into the house as he headed back to the car. It looked like tonight had been a success for all of them. 

Jenna headed upstairs, seeing Elena sitting morosely on her bed, half under the covers, with her pajamas on. She wondered if the guilt that Damon warned her about was hitting already so she stepped in and sat on the edge of the bed. “What’s wrong? Did Damon do something?” she had to be sure. 

“No, nothing like that,” Elena assured her. “He was perfect. He even beat me to the punch with the it’s too soon speech. Said that he would wait until I was ready and was happy just being my friend until then.”

“Then what is it?” Jenna coaxed.

“It’s been less than two weeks since…” she couldn’t even finish the sentence. “And I’m out dancing and having fun and maybe even falling for an amazing guy. I’m a horrible daughter.”

Jenna ignored the falling for him part, and decided to focus on the rest for now. She wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled Elena to her side. “No, you’re not,” she said firmly. “You are a wonderful daughter. They would have wanted you to be happy, Elena. I bet they were watching you and smiling all night.”

“I just miss them so much and…and for a little while tonight I…I forgot that,” she said, tears falling from her eyes. 

“I know honey,” Jenna said, kissing the top of her head and rubbing a hand over her arm. “But that’s /okay/. It just means that you’re starting to move on. That’s a good thing.”

“I feel like I’m forgetting about them.”

“You’ll never forget about them, Elena, but you will forget the pain. One day you’ll be able to think of them and smile, but they will always be a part of you.” She turned and looked at a teary Jeremy standing in the doorway. “Both of you,” she added with a smile for him. Jeremy nodded and gave a slight twitch of a smile before heading to his own room and closing the door. “You should get some sleep,” she told Elena. When Elena laid down, Jenna tucked her in and kissed her forehead before heading out.

She went and knocked on Jeremy’s door. “Goodnight Aunt Jenna,” Jeremy called from inside, but didn’t open the door. 

She sighed sadly and said, “Goodnight Jeremy,” before going to get out of her dress and take a shower before bed. 

It was about two hours later and everyone was asleep when Damon slipped in Elena’s window and sat gently on the edge of her bed, looking longingly at her. He knew that she was a heavy sleeper so reached out to gently brush his fingers sadly over the dried tear tracks on her cheeks. “I love you so much, baby,” he whispered, leaning over to press a soft kiss to her forehead. He grabbed Mr. Bear and set him in her arms, giving one more brush of her cheek before disappearing back out the window. 

Monday morning, Damon headed to a jeweler in a nearby city to place a custom order for Elena’s birthday in two weeks. They told him it would take about a week and a half to finish so he paid for it up front and then headed out to do some hunting before he headed home in time for dinner. He sat around the table and ate with everyone else, needing to talk to Zach. “Did you talk to the council?” 

“I did. They’re fine with you joining us, and you can participate in discussions, but you don’t get a vote as long as I’m there too,” Zach told him. 

“Okay. That’s good enough for me,” Damon agreed. 

“You’re putting him on the council?” Stefan asked in shock. 

“What’s the council?” Ric asked. 

“Vampire hunters,” Stefan told him. “They’re the ones who pass down the legends and protect the town from vampires.”

“And you want to join?” Ric asked Damon surprised. 

“Yes I want to join. Last time around I was a member and it definitely helped to keep them off our trail, and helped to hunt down other vampires who came to town,” Damon told them. 

“I guess that makes sense,” Stefan admitted. 

“Another thing, Zach. If you could get me some vervain oil? Asap?” Damon asked. 

“For what?” Zach asked. 

“So I can drink it,” Damon said with a smirk. 

“Seriously, Damon. Why do you really need it?” Stefan said rolling his eyes. 

“I am serious. I learned that it’s possible to build up a tolerance if you just have a few drops every day. Burns like hell going down, but it comes in handy. 

“That’s why you don’t mind me giving people vervain,” Zach guessed, realizing that he’d been right about Damon playing a long game here. “You can make yourself immune to it.”

“Yes and no,” Damon told him. “I can’t get past it’s effects to compel people, and if they’re drinking the vervain, I still can’t feed on them. That’s a bit too high of a concentration. The only thing it prevents is me being knocked out by it. I’ve been taken prisoner with vervain injections far too many times, and would rather avoid it as much as possible. It still takes years to build up even that much of an immunity though.” 

Zach relaxed a lot at that. It would make it harder if they needed to take Damon down, but since he was being so kind as to share that information, he knew that they would need a much stronger dose for him soon enough if it became necessary. “Okay. I’ll get you a bottle when we’re done eating.” 

“Thanks Zach,” Damon said gratefully. Hopefully being on it sooner this time would help him keep control if it got slipped into his drink sometime and keep him from being outed by a pissy werewolf. Of course, knowing now that said werewolf had been working for Katherine, he would be careful not to antagonize him this time around. 

Once they finished eating, they moved into the living room for drinks, and Zach disappeared for a moment before coming back with a large vial of vervain. Damon took it from him and put one drop in his bourbon. “You want some too Stef?” he asked. Stefan grimaced but nodded, holding out his glass and Damon dripped one drop in his too. 

“I thought you said a few drops?” Stefan asked curiously, looking nervously at the drink. 

“Gotta work up to that,” Damon chuckled, taking a deep breath before saying, “Bottoms up,” and downing his glass in one drink. When he doubled over coughing, Ric rushed to his side and helped him sit down before he fell. “Thanks,” Damon croaked once he had control. “Probably should have sat down first.”

Stefan was both more and less nervous after Damon’s reaction. This wasn’t going to be pleasant, but if Damon could do it, he could. He learned from his brother’s mistake though and sat down before tossing the drink back, going into his own coughing fit. “You do that every day?” Stefan said hoarsely. 

“Better than waking up on fire because someone secretly dosed you,” Damon partially joked.


	20. Chapter 20

The next day, Damon called Bonnie to let her know that he would have the item for the spell in a week and a half. “Hey can I ask you something?” Bonnie asked him. 

“Always, Bon-bon,” Damon told her. 

“Were Jeremy and I together in the future?” 

“Why do you ask?” Damon answered with another question. 

“I just noticed the way you kept looking at us the other night,” she said, not wanting to let on how confused she was about her own feelings. 

Damon had learned a lesson…sort of…from Stefan’s worries about Caroline. “Are you sure you really want to know? I mean, rather than letting things just develop on their own?” 

Bonnie considered that for a long moment before she decided that if she was going to take a chance with her best friend’s brother, she would rather have some insight first. “Yeah. I think I really do want to know.”

“You two had a rather rocky relationship, but you did love each other for a long time,” Damon told her. 

“Rocky how? What happened?” She needed to know if it would be better to just avoid it altogether. 

“Well first off, you have to remember that Jeremy is a messed up kid. Not just losing his parents, but by the time you two got together the first time, he’d had two previous girlfriends, both of whom were killed.”

“Oh god,” Bonnie gasped. 

“Yeah. So when he gained the ability to see ghosts not long after you got together and they came back to visit him…” 

“He cheated on me,” she guessed when Damon trailed off. 

“Sort of. It was more of a goodbye kiss, but it caused your first break-up,” Damon told her. 

“First?” 

“You ended up getting back together and were totally solid for a long time. Then there was a major disaster and you came up with this spell to save us all, but it killed you in the process. You knew it would all along, but you lied to him about it. Didn’t want him to worry or stop you or mess up your last days together, but when the time came, you told him that you were about to die over the phone while he was miles away. He had a lot of trouble forgiving you for that.” 

“Oh wow. I mean…I can see why I did that, but I can also see why it upset him so much,” Bonnie said sadly. 

“Yeah. Same here on both counts. Your heart was in the right place, as it always was. Needless to say, when we brought you back, you two were done. By the time he managed to really forgive you, you had moved on with someone else.”

“But this time around, if I give him a chance now, he won’t have the dead girlfriends,” Bonnie considered. 

“No. he won’t. And I’ll be doing everything I can to prevent the problems that cost you your life,” he told her. 

“But still…was I happy with this other guy?” she asked, torn on what to do. 

“You were. But you were happy with Jeremy too. And Enzo…the other guy…he’ll be different this time around too. I don’t even know if he’ll come back around here now that I’ve freed him.” 

“Freed?” Bonnie asked worriedly. 

“That’s a long story,” Damon pushed her off, not wanting to talk about the Augustine’s again. 

“Okay,” she dropped it, sensing that he didn’t want to talk about it. “But do you think I should give things with Jeremy a shot then?” 

“I think that even if it doesn’t work out, you two were good for each other. You grew a lot together and helped each other through some difficult times,” Damon said. 

Bonnie smiled. “Okay. That all makes sense. Thanks Damie.” 

Damon rolled his eyes at the nickname. “Anytime Bon-bon. Oh hey, I was thinking of having a party Saturday night if you want to come.” 

“I’ll probably be there, and I’ll try to bring Elena too,” she chuckled. 

“And I know my parties are usually sixteen plus, but I’ll make an exception for Jer if he wants to come too,” Damon told her before she hung up. 

When Saturday night rolled around, Zach went to stay with a friend in town so that he would actually be able to get some sleep. He actually trusted Damon for the most part now so felt no need to supervise. Especially since Ric would be there too. 

The party was already hopping by the time that Bonnie strolled in alone. “No luck with Elena and Jeremy?” Damon asked, laughing when she jumped out of her skin at his sudden appearance at her side. 

“Don’t do that!” she said as she smacked him. “Jesus, you almost gave me a heart attack!” 

That just made Damon laugh harder. “Oh come on, Bon-bon. You gotta admit that was funny.” He was so busy teasing her that he didn’t notice Elena and Jeremy come in. 

“Maybe for you, /Damie/,” she teased as she smacked him again. 

Elena and Jeremy laughed, drawing Damon’s attention. “Gilberts. Welcome to the madhouse. Glad you could make it,” he said with a grin, still chuckling a bit. 

“This place is amazing,” Elena said looking around. She’d never been here before, but it was almost like stepping back in time. 

“Thank you,” Damon said cheerfully before he was dragged back to the dance floor. He jerked his head for them to come along, but Elena shook her head and shooed him off. Jeremy followed though, leaving Bonnie and Elena alone. 

“Since when are you two besties?” Elena asked curiously, trying not to be jealous of Bonnie and Damon. 

“He actually made friends with Grams first believe it or not,” Bonnie told her. 

“No,” Elena said in disbelief. “How did he manage that?”

“Apparently he found some old family heirloom that his dad had stolen from us a long time ago and drove straight to her house to return it. They’ve been working together on some research stuff off and on since then, and I’ve helped a little bit too,” she embellished quite a bit, but in substance the story was true. 

Elena added honorable and smart to her growing list of Damon Salvatore’s virtues as she asked worriedly, “What do you think of him?” 

Bonnie resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She knew exactly what Elena meant. “I’m not interested in him that way if that’s what you mean. Not that he wouldn’t be a great catch and all, but I don’t see him as more than a friend.” 

“Oh. Okay,” Elena said with a blush at being caught out so easily. She looked away and her eyes caught sight of him as he danced his way through the crowd, not with any one person, but just having fun in general. She almost laughed when she noticed Jeremy trying to copy him with much less grace. 

“Come on. Let’s go dance,” Bonnie said dragging her out to the dancing area. 

When Damon let himself be dragged into dancing it was only because he was trying not to smother Elena right now. He’d greeted her and welcomed her, but from here she could come to him. And she did, about half an hour later while he was by the drink table. “You better hope aunt Jenna doesn’t find out that you’re letting Jeremy drink,” she joked gesturing to her slightly inebriated little brother. 

“You gonna rat me out?” Damon asked with an amused smirk. 

“No,” she shook her head. “But I’m worried about him.”

“So am I,” Damon told her. “Which is why I’m letting him drink.”

“That doesn’t make any sense,” Elena said confused. 

“Think, Elena. If I have no problem with him drinking then he’ll come here to drink. Where I can keep an eye on him and keep him out of trouble. If I start playing the responsible adult and trying to control him, then he goes out and does it elsewhere where anything can happen,” he explained. 

“What else do you let him do here?” she asked worriedly. 

“Smoke pot,” Damon told her. “Though I put my foot down on anything more serious when he tried. Along with a lecture about the dangers. I’m almost certain he took it seriously. I also explained the concept of moderation. As in it’s fine if it’s sometimes around people you can trust, but you can’t let it take over your life.” 

Elena considered it for a moment before shrugging. It wasn’t the track she would take, but it did seem to be helping. “If he gets worse though…”

“Then I’ll talk to him,” Damon promised. “And if he completely goes off the rails, I will tell Jenna and you so that you can help me rein him back in. Right now though, he needs to be free to cut loose sometimes. He’s dealing with a lot and needs a break every now and then.” 

“Okay. I can see that. Promise me you’ll keep it under control though? Promise me you’ll keep him safe and healthy?” 

Damon took her hands in his and looked into her eyes, remembering a similar promise he once made her in the future. “I promise, Elena.” 

Elena felt her heart flutter and she couldn’t help but trust him. “Thank you,” she said with a nervous smile. 

Damon could tell that the moment was getting a little too emotional for her, so he let loose a carefree grin and started pulling her out to the dance area. “Come on. Let’s dance.” It was more of a group dance than a personal one, so it worked in putting some distance while keeping her close. If she noticed that he was much more open with touching her, she didn’t say anything. She even participated, gripping his hand when he grabbed hers, leaning into him when he touched her shoulders, bumping him purposefully as they bounced around, and just having fun. Eventually they went their separate ways, separated by the crowd. 

The rest of the night went much the same way, but Damon and Ric made sure that no one drunk was driving home, no matter their age. Elena had only had one drink early in the night, so she was fine to drive and drove both Jeremy and Caroline home since they were both smashed. Elena even helped Jeremy avoid Jenna, running interference with her in the kitchen while Jeremy staggered up the stairs and passed out in bed.


	21. Chapter 21

Damon picked up Elena’s birthday gift that Friday morning and had a few stops to make to get it ready. He knew that Elena and Jeremy would be out and only hoped that Jenna would be home. If not, he would try again later. Luckily, when he knocked on the door, she answered. “Damon,” she said in surprise. “Elena and Jeremy aren’t here…”

“I know. I was hoping to talk to you,” he told her. 

“Of course. Come on in,” she said opening the door wide and stepping out of the way. “What’s up?” 

“I was wondering if you have any small pictures of Elena’s parents I could have?” Damon asked. 

“Why?” Jenna asked curiously. 

“I’m working on her birthday present,” Damon admitted, pulling the jewelry box out and opening it, showing her the gleaming cobalt locket. He’d stayed away from roses in the design, and flowers altogether, due to the symbolism given her and Stefan’s thing in the future not to be. Instead he had a double dolphin design engraved on the front. 

“That’s beautiful,” Jenna said with a smile. “Let me see what I can find. Are you looking for one of them together for one side, or one on each side?” She wondered if he wanted to leave the other side open for the two of them one day. 

“Either or. Preferably together,” Damon told her as she pulled out a box of pictures and started going through them, setting one aside every so often and then the two of them looked through those and decided on the perfect picture for the locket. 

Once it was cut out and put in, Jenna smiled. “Elena asked for a simple family dinner for her birthday this year. She isn’t up to a party, but if you want to come by before dinner to give it to her you’re welcome to.” 

Damon smiled and nodded. “I’ll do that then. Thank you,” he told her before he left. His next stop was home. He was going to wait until later to go by the Bennett house so that Bonnie could help with the spell. The more practice she got the better and he was more comfortable with her helping. She would never allow Elena to come to any harm. When he got home, he tracked Zach down, finding him downstairs with the vervain farm. “Just the man I was looking for,” Damon said cheerfully. “Would you mind putting some of that in this?” he asked, pulling out the locket and opening the secret compartment behind the picture. 

Zach scrutinized him for a moment before nodding and taking the locket from him. One of these days he would cease being surprised by Damon’s good side. He broke off a sprig of vervain and put it into the compartment before closing it and handing it back to Damon. Damon took it by the chain, not daring to touch the locket part now that the vervain was just on the other side of the magically conductive metal. He dropped it gently back in the box. “Thank you, Zach. Now all that’s left is to get the witch to put the protection spell on it.” 

“You’re sure the spell won’t interact with the vervain?” Zach asked concerned. 

“It won’t. I asked,” Damon told him. “Which is a good thing because I don’t know if I could get away with giving her two pieces of jewelry for her birthday,” he chuckled. 

“Damon, listen. I know I’ve been skeptical of your change of heart, and honestly, part of me still is, but I know that’s just my paranoia talking. Just…thank you.” 

Damon gave him a lop-sided smile and clapped him on the shoulder as he headed back upstairs. He checked his watch and saw that it might be late enough for Bonnie to be home from taking Elena and Jeremy to lunch, so he texted her, ‘let me know when you’re home. Got the thing.’

‘Ten minutes. Meet you there,” Bonnie texted back a few minutes later. 

Damon got back in his car and headed over. The door was opened by Sheila and he gave her a grateful smile as he pulled the locket box out and picked it up by the chain, handing it over. “Thank you again for this.”

“You’re welcome,” she told him. “But I’m doing it mostly for Bonnie. She won’t stand by and let anything happen to Elena, which means if something comes for her she’ll be right in the middle of it. Again.” 

“I know,” Damon said with a nod. She had enough of the story to know how much danger Bonnie had been in trying to protect Elena. “But I still thank you.” 

She nodded as she palmed the locket and closed her eyes for a moment. “This will work perfectly. The spell will take about half an hour. You’re welcome to wait out here or come back for it later.” 

“I’ll wait,” Damon told her, moving over to sit in the porch swing as she closed the door. He pulled a book out of his bag to read. He’d come prepared, knowing that it would take a little while. There were so many protections on the house that he couldn’t hear anything going on inside unless the door was open, so he had no idea what kind of spell it was they were doing. 

When he heard the door open later, he finished the paragraph he was reading before he closed the book as Bonnie sat down next to him. “Whatcha reading?” 

“Call of the Wild. Jack London,” he told her. “It’s done?” 

Bonnie nodded and dropped the locket in his hand. He hissed in pain, and only his familiarity with pain kept him from dropping it as he reached out and quickly grabbed the chain and lifted it, flexing his hand as the burn healed. “Sorry,” Bonnie winced. “I forgot.”

“No worries,” Damon waved off the apology as he dropped the locket back in the box. 

“So that’s what vervain does to vampires?” she asked curiously. 

“Among other things,” he told her. 

“Like what?” she asked. 

“Other than burning like battery acid, it also weakens us. An injection of vervain will usually knock a vampire out for a little while.” 

“Usually?” 

“We can build up a tolerance to that effect by drinking a few drops a day. Stef and I did that in the future and just started again now. Last time around we didn’t learn that until a while from now. Once we’ve got the tolerance as high as we can get it it would take about five times the normal amount of vervain to knock us out. Won’t do anything for the burning though. Or for the compulsion. When a human wears or ingests vervain, they are immune to compulsion.” 

“Then once Elena is wearing that, she’ll be as protected as humanly possible. And I guess I’m going to start drinking vervain,” she chuckled. 

“You don’t need to. As a witch, you’re automatically immune,” Damon told her. “It would keep a vampire from feeding on you, but honestly, any vampire who would do that would just kill you on the spot in that case, so there’s not much point.”

“Right, let’s not talk about me being killed if you don’t mind,” Bonnie said wryly.

Damon chuckled. “Sure thing, Bon-bon. I should get going anyway. Thanks again,” he said as he got up to head out. 

Tuesday afternoon, he headed over to the Gilbert house and knocked on the door. Jenna opened it and gave him a sad smile as she let him in. “She’s up in her room.”

Damon nodded and headed up the stairs. The door was open so he just leaned on the doorframe for a moment as he watched her get ready to go out. When he heard her mutter, “I can’t do this,” he smiled wistfully, remembering an old memory. Once that she’d told him once was the moment she fell in love with him. He wondered if he could repeat the feat. 

“It’s your party, you can cry if you want to,” Damon told her, resisting the urge to chuckle when she jumped and turned around. 

“Damon,” she said in a cross between relieved and embarrassed. “What are you doing here?” 

“Don’t worry. I’m not intruding on your family dinner. I brought you something,” he told her, pulling the box out of his pocket and opening it for her. 

“It’s beautiful,” she breathed out as she picked it up. 

“Open it,” he told her with a lop-sided smile. 

She flipped the latch and sucked in a sharp breath at the picture, running her finger over it. “My parents…” she breathed out. 

“This way you know that they’re with you always,” Damon told her, seeing her eyes fill with tears. 

“Would you…” she held it out to him. 

“Absolutely,” he said closing the box and putting it on her dresser as she turned around, the happy memory nearly overwhelming him as he clasped it behind her neck. 

She reached her hand up to brush her fingers over it as the tears started to fall. When she turned to him, he held his arms open in invitation and she took it, hugging him tightly as she cried. She wasn’t going to turn down any hug right now. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why this is hitting me so hard,” she sniffled against his chest. 

Damon couldn’t stop himself from running a hand through her hair. “Because it’s a first,” he told her. “All the firsts are going to be hard. Especially the first first,” he said gently. She nodded and pulled away, looking up at him and he wanted nothing more than to kiss her right now, but he knew better. He reached his hands to her cheeks and used his thumbs to wipe away her tears before he kissed her forehead. “You’ll be okay,” he assured her. 

“You know, when you say it, I almost believe it,” she said with a watery smile. He smiled back and gave her cheeks one more swipe with his thumbs before heading out.


	22. Chapter 22

Over the next two months, things settled into something of a routine. Damon saw Elena once every week or two, sometimes he would drop by her house and they would hang out, sometimes at parties, but they were still in a holding pattern. Jeremy usually stayed at the boarding house once a week or so and they got drunk and high and usually spent quite a bit of time with Damon and even Ric giving him advice about Bonnie once they became an official couple a few weeks before the end of summer with Elena’s blessing. Damon and Bonnie were quickly getting back to their brother/sister dynamic that Damon had missed a great deal. Ric and Jenna were still seeing each other and starting to get serious. Ric was starting his new job at the high school teaching history. Stefan and Caroline were also getting serious, especially since she’d taken Damon’s advice and calmed down a little bit. 

It was a little over a week before school was going to start, when Damon got ‘the’ call from Bonnie. “Hey, Damie. I wanted to talk to you about Elena,” she started. 

“What about her?” Damon asked. 

“Well, I’m sure that she would rather I spill this news a little more gently and subtly, and normally I would, but this is you and in the current situation…”

“Just spit it out, Bon-bon,” Damon rolled his eyes. 

“She wanted you to know that she’s ready, but doesn’t know how to make it known,” Bonnie did as she was asked. 

A grin spread across Damon’s face as he realized what she meant. “Thank you, Bonnie. I’ll take it from here.” 

“I thought you would,” she laughed. “Good luck.”

Damon had months to consider this moment, so didn’t need any time to think about it. He just called Jenna. “Hey Jenna. I was wondering if you would consider letting me cook dinner for you guys tomorrow night? Along with Ric and Bonnie maybe?”

“Why?” Jenna asked getting a sneaking suspicion. 

“Because I have just been ever so subtly informed by the adorable Ms. Bennett that Elena is ready to date, and I thought a group thing, a triple date if you will, would help take the pressure off the first date…and I want to show off my cooking skills.” 

Jenna laughed. “Sure, Damon. Dinner tomorrow is good.” She was glad that Elena was finally coming out of her bubble. She had expected Jeremy to be the more difficult one, but his friendship with Damon and Ric did wonders for him. 

“Perfect. I’ll take care of inviting Ric and Bonnie?” When she agreed, he hung up and started making a grocery list. He wasn’t going to go shopping until he was on his way over though. He texted Bonnie to let her know to come to dinner at the Gilbert house at five tomorrow and they would eat around six and told Ric the same thing when he got back shortly after. 

The next day, he got to Elena’s around two thirty and Jenna opened the door curiously. “You’re early,” she said amused, taking one of the bags of groceries from him. 

“Well it’ll take a little over three hours to cook, so…”

“What are you cooking?” 

“Beef Wellington with green beans almondine and dauphinoise potatoes with chocolate soufflé for dessert,” he told her. 

“Ambitious,” she chuckled. 

“Well it wouldn’t be showing off if I wasn’t,” he joked. 

“Well Elena and Jeremy won’t be home until around four, so I guess you’re stuck with me for company until then,” Jenna told him. 

“Like that’s a hardship,” he said charmingly as he got the food started. They chatted for most of the time the food was cooking and when Elena got home, she took one look at him at the stove and blushed as she smiled brightly at him before going upstairs to get ready. 

Jeremy was back down first, wearing a nice pair of jeans and a button up shirt around four thirty. It was almost five before Elena came down, also with a nice pair of jeans and a pretty blouse. She had her hair done up and was wearing a little more makeup than her everyday look, but not that much. “You look gorgeous,” Damon told her with a grin. 

“Thanks. So do you,” she grinned back, sitting down to join the conversation while Damon cooked. It wasn’t long before there was a knock on the door and Jenna went to get it, and Ric returned with her a moment later. Jeremy got the next knock which was Bonnie. 

Dinner ended up being ready around quarter to six, and Damon put the souffle in the oven before they all sat down to eat. The conversation flowed easily as they ate and Damon often found himself reaching over and brushing Elena’s hand or arm during the meal, much as he’d always done when they were together before. He’d always been a very physical person. 

Ric ended up spilling a not quite secret over the course of the meal though. “I think this is your best try on this yet,” he told Damon. 

“Best try?” Jenna asked amusedly, having a good idea what he meant. 

“Yeah, he’s been practicing this meal at the boarding house for weeks,” Ric said, smirking at Damon who gave him a half-hearted glare. 

“Has he now,” Jenna teased as they all laughed, Elena with a blush, but obviously happy. She suspected that he wanted to date her after their conversation after the ball, and she was glad that he hadn’t given up on her, but knowing that he’d been planning for it for weeks and was just waiting on the word from her made her feel wonderful. That and the fact that he’d included her whole family in it meant something. She wasn’t sure if she was reading too much into that part though. It could just be because they were all friends, but he would have to know the significance of the fact and since he did it anyway it gave her hope that he meant this to be something real. 

After dinner and dessert, they all moved to the living room to watch a movie. Damon and Elena sat on the loveseat while Jeremy, Bonnie, and Alaric sat on the couch and Jenna sat on the floor, leaning against Ric’s legs. Damon draped his arm over the back of the loveseat as the movie started and he dangled his fingers down to tease over Elena’s shoulder. She smiled and leaned against his side, so he took the invitation and wrapped his arm more firmly around her. When she leaned her head on his shoulder, he leaned his head against hers. They both ignored the ‘they’re so cute’ looks from Jenna, who was resting her cheek on Ric’s leg as he played with her hair. Jeremy and Bonnie only had eyes for each other though as they were cuddled up in a similar position on the couch. 

After the movie, the guests were getting ready to leave. Bonnie left first, having to rush home for curfew and Jeremy walked her to her car for their goodnight. Jeremy went upstairs when he got back and Elena walked Damon to his car, holding his hand. “Thank you for dinner, Damon,” she said with a smile. 

“Anytime, Elena,” Damon replied as he reached his hands to her cheeks, giving her time to stop him before he kissed her. He had intended it to be soft and sweet but the moment his lips met hers that idea went out the window. She obviously wasn’t complaining though as her hands tangled in his hair and she plastered herself against him, kissing him back with just as much fervor as his hands moved down to hold her tightly. As much as he wanted to continue this, now definitely wasn’t the time so he forced himself to pull away. “Goodnight, Elena,” he whispered, brushing his hand down her cheek, giving her one more quick kiss before turning to get in his car. 

Elena walked inside in a daze with a grin on her face. Ric barely managed not to chuckle at that as he broke away from his own goodbye at the sound of the door and passed her on his way out. Jenna bit her lip to keep her laugh in as she steered Elena to the couch. “So Damon huh?” she prompted, trying to start a conversation about it. 

“Damon,” she breathed out in agreement. 

“Come on. Give me /something/,” Jenna coaxed. 

“I think I’m falling for him,” Elena said with a smile. 

“Oh? After one date?” Jenna teased. “That must have been some goodnight kiss.”

“Aunt Jenna,” Elena whined giving her a playful push. “It wasn’t just one date. There’s been…something…since the moment we met. And then the accident. He pulled me out of the car. He saved my life. And since then he’s just been…there. No matter what I’ve needed, what I’ve wanted. We had the perfect night at the ball, and he was so patient to wait for me since then. This locket,” she reached up to touch it. 

“I know,” Jenna told her with a smile. “He has been amazing. But is it just that?” 

“It’s everything about him,” Elena told her. “He’s snarky and sarcastic and smug, but the minute the chips are down, he’s just…there. He does whatever is needed. And not just for me. For you and Jeremy too. I just…I can’t even put it into words.” 

“He makes you happy,” Jenna tried for her. 

Elena nodded. “After mom and dad…I didn’t think I would ever be happy again, but I am. He makes me so happy.” 

“And that’s all I want for you,” Jenna said pulling her into a hug.


	23. Chapter 23

Damon was a fast enough driver that he was already home, stretched out happily on the couch, on his second glass of bourbon when Ric walked in the door. Damon motioned to the glass still on the table and Ric nodded his thanks as he took it and sat down. “Good night?” he asked knowingly. 

“Amazing night,” Damon said with a smile, taking a long drink. They sat up chatting for a few more hours before Stefan got home from his date with Caroline and joined them for a little while before they all headed to bed. 

The next morning, Damon woke with a smile as he so rarely did these days, and grabbed his phone. When he realized that it was almost ten, he knew it wasn’t too early and sent a text to Elena with just one word. ‘Lunch?’

He lounged in bed for about twenty minutes before her reply came in. ‘Pick me up in an hour?’ He quickly sent back an affirmative and got up to take a long shower and get ready. He grabbed a quick blood bag on his way out the door and got to her house to pick her up right on time. When he knocked on the door, she came right out, and he grabbed her and pulled her into a lingering kiss. “Good morning,” he said with a grin. 

“Good morning,” she replied just as happily as they walked to the car. He opened the door for her before walking around to his side and getting in. When they got to the grill, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders as hers went around his waist and they headed in to get a table. 

Damon definitely noticed the glares he was getting from one Matt Donovan, and didn’t mind rubbing his nose in it at all. Elena was too lost in him to notice, and Damon wasn’t being obvious about it, but every time he felt the stare on him, he would steal a kiss or play with her hair, kiss her hand, nuzzle her cheek, anything to show his affection. It wasn’t only to get a rise out of Matt though. He just loved everything about being with her, and she loved the attention just as much, giving as good as she got. 

After lunch, they went for a walk around town, arms wrapped around each other again as they talked. They bumped into the sheriff at one point. “Hey, Damon, don’t forget about the meeting later,” she reminded him. 

“I’ll be there with bells on, Liz,” he told her. 

“Meeting?” Elena asked curiously as they walked on. 

“I joined the founders council a couple months ago. I didn’t tell you?” 

“No. You didn’t,” she said amusedly. “I didn’t figure you as the type for that kind of thing.” 

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me,” Damon said, stealing a kiss. “But you know I’m something of a history buff,” he pointed out. 

“True. I guess I just always think of the council as old snobby people,” Elena laughed. “So…tell me these things I don’t know about you,” she coaxed, giving him a playful bump. 

Damon knew that he couldn’t keep his true nature a secret much longer. Not if he didn’t want her to feel lied to. That and he didn’t want to do the full info dump all at once. Better to space it out and since he’d already decided to tell her about the time travel once she told him that she loved him, he wanted to get this out of the way first. It was the wrong time and place for that though. “I’ll tell you what. How about we spend the whole day together tomorrow and I’ll tell you all about my past?” 

Elena grinned. Three days in a row had to mean something. “Okay. What time should I be ready?” 

“Ten am sound good?” She nodded. “Perfect. And wear comfortable shoes. We’re gonna take a hike and have a picnic.” 

“Sounds perfect,” she told him, leaning up to steal a kiss of her own. “What time do you need to take me home by?” 

He checked his watch before telling her, “Soon. We should probably start working our way back to the car,” as he turned them around. 

Once he got her home, he walked her to the door and kissed her passionately. They were interrupted by the door opening soon after. “Oh. Sorry,” Jenna said amusedly. “I was just…heading to the store,” he slipped by them and headed to her car. 

Damon chuckled and leaned his forehead against Elena’s. “I should go anyway or I’ll be late,” he told her, giving her one more lingering kiss. 

“See you tomorrow,” she told him before he walked off and he just grinned and winked at her in response. 

The next morning, he was on her doorstep right at ten, and the drive to the boarding house was spent in light conversation. “I though you said we were hiking?” she asked as they pulled up. 

“We are,” Damon told her, pulling her towards the woods. “There’s someplace I want to show you.” 

Elena followed along, threading her fingers with his as they walked. “So why all the secrecy about your past?” she asked curiously. 

Damon took a deep breath and bit the bullet. “Because my past begins in eighteen thirty nine,” he said. 

“What do you…” Elena stopped walking in confusion. Was he doing some sort of role play history lesson?

“Just let me tell it?” he asked hopefully. She nodded slowly and started walking again, still just as confused. “My father was Giussepe Salvatore and my mother was Lillian. You know my brother Stefan. When I was seventeen and Stefan was ten, our mother died of consumption. As far as we knew at least, but the rest of that story is for another time. Either way, she was gone, we had a funeral, etc. My father had always been an abusive ass, but he got even worse after that, so I joined up with the civil war the second I turned eighteen, leaving Stef in his clutches. He never had it as badly as I did though. He was the golden child. I was the screw-up, disobedient rebel. It wasn’t exactly easy for him, of course, but it was easier than it would have been if I’d stuck around riling him up all the time. The important part of the story starts when I was twenty-five.” 

“Isn’t that now?” Elena asked. 

Damon chuckled and put a finger over her lips. “You’re supposed to be letting me tell it,” he reminded her and she smiled, but nodded. About that time they got to their destination. “This is where we were. This is where our family estate stood,” he said wistfully as he walked over to the still standing chimney and put a hand on it. “When I was twenty-five, I deserted from the army and came home to find that my family had taken in a boarder. Her name was Katherine Pierce, or as I learned later, Katerina Petrova. She dated both me and my seventeen year old brother Stefan. Played us against each other. /Used/ us against each other. Did everything she could to stoke our rivalry, until she got bored. She fed us her vampire blood and then let herself get captured, knowing that we would stop at nothing to save her and we did. And we both died in the attempt. Shot by our own father. Since we died with vampire blood in our systems, we woke up a few hours later where we had been spirited away by one of her friends as she faked her death and left.”

“Vampires?” Elena scoffed. 

“Yes, Elena. Vampires,” Damon told her, flashing his face and fangs, waiting for her freakout. When he saw her freeze in shock, he brought his normal face back. “I’m still the same person I was an hour ago, Elena,” he said softly. “And I would die before I ever hurt you or anyone you care about.”

“But do you hurt other people?” she asked worriedly. “I mean…you drink blood right, so you kill people for it?” 

“No,” he shook his head. “Not anymore. There is a technique frequently called catch and release, and most vampires use it so they don’t draw too much attention. We grab someone, take a little drink, erase their memory of it, and move on. Some take more than others, but I don’t take more than a simple blood donation would.” 

“Wait…Stefan said something the night of the accident about taking my memories,” she’d forgotten about that. 

“And I refused. And I will always refuse with you,” Damon assured her. “And now that you have that locket, no one else can either.”

“The locket?” she asked confused, reaching her hand to it instinctively. 

“It has a whole bevy of protections on it, including one to prevent any vampires from messing with your memory,” he explained. “So please do me a favor and never take it off.”


	24. Chapter 24

“I…I won’t,” she breathed out, head spinning. Vampires were real and she was dating one. He wanted to keep her protected, even from him. She remembered what he said about still being the same person he was before she knew that, and she slowly relaxed the tension she’d been holding since she saw his face. She knew him. She’d known him for months. He would never hurt her. He survived without hurting people. He was a good guy. That didn’t mean she wasn’t going to make sure. “What if I decide to run back to town and tell everyone your secret?” 

“I hope you don’t, but if you do, then I’ll just disappear. I’ll wait until everyone has moved on and forgotten about me before I come back home again,” he told her. “I will never /ever/ hurt you or lie to you, Elena. No matter what you do with the information.” 

She nodded slowly, thinking back over what he’d told her so far. “You said you don’t hurt people anymore, but you used to?” 

Damon nodded. “I did. You see, vampires have the ability to turn off their humanity. Their emotions, compassion, empathy, love.”

“And you did that?” she asked horrified. 

“I did. It was a very difficult time. In the fifties I was captured by a group that experimented on vampires. Dissected us alive and did all manner of horrific things. I won’t go into details because it would give you nightmares. I made friends with one of the other captives while I was there and we helped each other through. We made a plan to escape. He gave me almost all of his blood rations for an entire year so that I could be strong enough to get us both out, but things didn’t go according to plan. There was a fire, and he was still locked in the cage that I couldn’t open. I couldn’t have gotten him out and I would have died with him if I didn’t leave. The only way I could possibly leave him there was to flip that switch. It was the only way for me to survive,” he told her. 

“But then you turned it back on later?” she guessed. She knew that it was on now. No one was that good of an actor. 

“Yes. But not for a few decades,” he told her. “The thing about the switch is that once it’s off, you don’t want to come back. You don’t care about anything and there’s nothing worth coming back for. It takes something huge to break through that. Most vampires, once it’s off, they leave it off forever. Then, when I finally did come back, I was crushed with guilt over everything I’d done and I hated myself. Part of me was tempted to turn it back off again, but I knew that would just make things worse. I didn’t want to give up my humanity, but I still saw myself as a monster and acted out because of it for a long time.” 

“But you don’t anymore,” she said skeptically. “Why? What changed?” 

“I realized how badly my behavior was hurting the people that I loved,” he told her. “I’ve done bad things Elena. Unforgivable things. But I promise you, that’s all behind me now. I’m no saint and never will be, but I’m not a monster anymore either.” 

Elena took a deep steadying breath. “Okay,” she said with a nod. “I’m holding you to that promise though.” 

His lips twitched in a smile. “I would expect nothing less.” He walked her over to the cracked foundation where the dining room would have been. It seemed an appropriate spot to set up their picnic. “Shall we eat?” 

She nodded and sat down next to him, unconsciously keeping some distance between them, not noticing his grimace as she did. “So Stefan is a vampire too?” Damon nodded. “Does Caroline know?” 

“I don’t know,” Damon said with a shrug. “He hasn’t said anything about it, so probably not.” 

“But they’ve been dating for months,” Elena said distastefully. “You told me when we’ve only been dating for a few days.”

“Stefan’s story is a little more complicated than mine. Plus we’ve known each other longer than they have. Not by much, but still longer.” 

“It doesn’t matter. She should know if she’s dating a vampire. I mean, being friends with one is one thing, but dating is very different,” she defended her friend. 

“I know. If it will make you feel better, I’ll talk to him about telling her,” Damon offered. 

“Please,” Elena told him. “I don’t know how long I could keep something this big about her own boyfriend from her.”

“Can you give me two weeks to talk him into it before you spill the beans?” he asked hopefully and she nodded. “Thank you,” Damon said gratefully. 

“Who else knows about you?” she asked. 

“Well ‘uncle’ Zach, who is actually our many times great grandnephew and human. Ric also knows and is also human. He’s a vampire hunter actually. Strange friends. I know,” he chucked seeing the amusement in her face. “Bonnie and her grandmother also know since they’re witches. They’re the ones who helped me with the spells on your locket.” 

“Bonnie’s a witch? And she never told me?” Elena asked hurt. She knew that technically Bonnie had told her, but always made it seem like her grandmother was just a drunk and it was all a joke. 

“She didn’t know until this summer,” Damon assured her. “I got some info about some bad things headed for Mystic Falls and told her grandmother and asked her to start training Bonnie so she would be safer.”

“Which is also why you got me this locket,” she realized. “But what about everyone else?” 

“We can only do so much,” Damon explained. “The witches will be right in the line of fire. As will Stef and I. Ric is a hunter. He can take care of himself. All of the founder’s council is on vervain. They know about vampires and their real purpose is to find and kill them.”

“Wait…but you’re a member you said…”

“What better way to keep myself a step ahead of them. And it puts me in a position to get all the news when the bad ones come around,” Damon explained. 

“Okay yeah. That makes sense,” Elena said. “But what about the other people in town?”

“Like I said, there’s only so much we can do. Between Ric, myself, and Bonnie, we’re keeping a close eye on you, Jenna, and Jeremy. You’re all close enough to us to be used as bargaining chips.”

“Against you? They’re coming for you?” she asked worriedly. 

“I’m the only one who knows where the key is to what they’re looking for,” Damon told her. 

“What are they looking for?” 

“There is a tomb that holds twenty-six vampires under the old church. It was sealed a hundred and forty five years ago by a Bennet witch. They need the tomb, which is here. A Bennett witch, of which there are two here. And the talisman that I hid here way back then. We have to keep them from opening that tomb. If they do it will be a bloodbath.” 

“So we have to guard it forever?” she asked in horror. “Why now?” 

“Because it can only be opened when the comet that was in the sky when it was sealed is back overhead,” he explained. “We just have to keep them away until the end of the year when the comet is too far away for them to work with.”

“How do you know all this?” she asked.

“I found out about the tomb and how to open it from the Bennett witch who sealed it. She had been bound by a life debt to Katherine and the spell was designed to save all the vampires from dying when the council trapped them in the church and let it burn. She was also bound to tell me how to let them out. Katherine assumed that I would stay her loyal lapdog for a century and a half,” Damon said with distaste. 

“But Katherine wasn’t in there, I thought.”

“She wasn’t. But she wanted everyone to think that she was in the church that night. And almost everyone to think that all of the vampires in that church died. It was her way of faking her death and leaving to start a new life.” 

“Oh. So you’ll keep everyone safe?” she asked hopefully. 

“As many as I possibly can. Hence joining the council to help keep an eye on things,” he told her. 

“Other than drinking blood and being able to turn off your emotions, what else can you do as a vampire?” she asked as they finished eating. 

“Well, we’re super strong,” he said picking up a rock and crushing it in his hand. “Our senses are enhanced like hearing, smell, taste, sight, and even touch. Our emotions are a lot stronger than humans, which is why so many vampires turn them off. It gets overwhelming sometimes. Especially the bad ones, but even the good ones can consume us. We’re also super fast,” he said with a grin, getting up and running back to the car and making it back in about fifteen seconds, handing her a pair of sunglasses. “I just ran and grabbed those from the car.” 

“Wait…so the night of the accident…you could have been faster…you could have saved…”


	25. Chapter 25

He reached out and took both of her hands as he rushed to say, “No. I couldn’t have. I would have if I could. Our speed doesn’t work in water. No traction. That’s why vampires hate to swim.” 

Elena blinked back the tears and forced the pain away. “So…you hate to swim, but you still jumped in to save me and try to save them anyway?” 

“Of course. I would never let anything happen to you,” he assured her. 

“But you had just met me then. You couldn’t have cared that much,” she said confused. 

Damon smiled and gave a little shrug. “That is a story for another day,” he told her. 

“What? Why?”

“Because I don’t want to throw too much at you all at once. You need time to come to terms with this much first,” he explained. “I promise you that, assuming we work out, I will tell you /everything/ soon enough.” 

Elena gave an irritated sigh, but nodded. She knew that he was right. She was already on information overload. “Okay. But I will want to know soon.” 

“You will know when you’re ready,” he promised. “There is one other thing that you need to know now though. The rest of the reason for your locket.” 

“Okay…”

“You are what is known as a doppelganger. There’s a lot of heavy crap involved, but short story, your blood is incredibly powerful. If certain beings found out that you exist, they would be after you forever. The spells on that locket prevent anyone from figuring it out unless they are specifically told by a Bennett witch.”

Elena’s eyes went wide and she sucked in a sharp breath. “What? But…”

“There’s just a little bit more. You need to know this because I know how you will feel and what conclusions you will jump to if you find out on your own. The last known doppelganger was Katherine Pierce. My maker. She looked exactly like you,” Damon told her. 

“That’s why…” she trailed off, heartbroken, pulling her hands away from him and looking away. 

He reached out and took her face in his, turning her back to look at him. “No,” he said firmly. “No, it’s not why anything. This is why I wanted to be the one to tell you. You are /nothing/ like her. Yes, your appearance caught me off guard at first and I was curious, but Katherine was manipulative, conniving, cruel. She didn’t care about anyone but herself. Even her own family were nothing more than pawns in whatever game she happened to be playing. Yes, I was infatuated with her back then. With who she pretended to be anyway, but /you/ are not her, Elena. You could never be anything like her. I despise her. What I feel for you is so much more than even the infatuation I felt for her before I knew her true self.”

Elena looked deep into his eyes as he was talking and she could see the truth there. Part of her was tempted to ask what he actually did feel for her, but she knew she wasn’t ready to hear it yet. There was just too much. She couldn’t handle any more heavy revelations right now. “I believe you,” she said softly, leaning forward for a short kiss, before shifting to his side. “Tell me about your childhood here?” she asked, trying to get some distance from all the vampire and witch talk. 

Damon smiled and wrapped her in his arms, turning slightly so she was leaning against his chest. “Where we’re sitting right now used to be the dining room,” he said softly, leaning his head against hers. “Mother always insisted that every meal was eaten in here together as a family. No exceptions. It was the only time my father was ever reasonably pleasant.” They spent the next few hours talking about his childhood which moved on to his time in the war, but they stayed far away from the subject of anything supernatural. 

The closest they got to the supernatural was around midafternoon when she asked, “So you’ve been alive for what…a hundred and seventy years or so?” 

“Give or take a few, yeah,” he chuckled.

“What was your favorite time to live in?” 

Damon kissed her shoulder as he considered that question. “Well the rest of the eighteen hundreds was a blur and rather boring. It wasn’t until the twenties that things started getting interesting. Then the great depression hit and it was rather depressing,” he joked, getting a laugh from Elena. “Then the forties was the war. Stefan went, but I didn’t. I wanted to go with him, but he was struggling with his own issues that being around me would have made worse. That’s not really my story to tell though. Most of the fifties I was a prisoner and then had no emotions in the sixties and seventies. The eighties and nineties I think would be my perfect era. The fashion, music, culture. I loved it.” 

“I can see that,” Elena said with a smile, looking up at him. “You seem like you would fit well in that time. But I can also see a lot of your upbringing in you too.” 

Damon laughed and hugged her tighter as he kissed her softly. “Some things are rather deeply ingrained, I suppose.” 

“Have you ever considered being a history teacher like Ric?” she asked teasingly. 

“Oh god, no. I’d eat the little brats when they annoyed me too much,” he joked and he knew Elena took it as one when she laughed with him. 

“Speaking of eating…”

Damon knew what she was asking since she’d asked that question before. “Yes, I can eat human food. As long as I keep a healthy diet of blood, my body functions just like a human. I don’t /need/ human food, but it helps to keep up the ruse and to be polite when you’re with someone who eats.”

“Then why do you cook?” she asked confused. 

“That’s a long story for another time,” he said with a chuckle. 

“Okay,” she sighed. It wasn’t that important, but she never did well with having things kept from her, even when it was for a good reason. “What other human things can you do? Like…do you play any instruments?” 

“A few. I’m decent at the piano, pretty good at the guitar and drums. I went through a rock phase in the eighties and nineties. Even had a band,” he told her. 

“Well I know you can dance,” she grinned. 

“Oh yes. That was drilled into us at a very young age,” Damon said wearily. “It does come in handy more often than not though and newer styles of dancing are a lot of fun.”

“So you don’t like the ball type dancing? You seemed like you were having fun.”

“I was. That had more to do with the company though,” he said with a smirk. “I don’t /mind/ that type of dancing even without the company though, unlike Stefan. He hates to dance.”

“Yeah, I noticed that he and Caroline didn’t dance as much as we did.” 

“He probably just danced enough to make her happy,” Damon guessed. 

“Any other talents or interests I should know about?” 

“Well with my vampiric abilities, sports are a joke. Anything involving reflexes is the same which is why I don’t do that sort of thing often. If there’s no challenge, there’s no fun. I was decent at croquet when I was human. And football.” 

“Do you watch sports or anything?” 

“No. I don’t watch much of anything really. We don’t even have a tv at home. I prefer to read.” 

“What kind of books do you like?”

“Adventure mostly, though I read fantasy a lot too so I can laugh at how wrong they are,” he said amusedly. 

They whiled away the rest of the day that way, with Elena cuddled into Damon’s arms talking about the good parts of Damon’s past and everything about Elena’s, despite the fact that Damon already knew most everything about her. It wasn’t until Elena’s stomach started growling that they started heading back to the car and went by the grill for dinner before Damon took her home. “Do you want to come inside and hang out for a while?” she asked. 

“Sure,” Damon said with a grin. He would always take as much time with her as he could get. He wasn’t surprised to find Ric there too. He spent most of his time at the Gilbert house nowadays. The five of them ended up spending hours playing video games that Damon kept winning. “Dude I thought you said you’d never played before?” Jeremy asked in irritation after the fifth time Damon won. 

“I have good reflexes,” Damon replied amusedly, making Elena giggle and Ric roll his eyes. 

When Elena walked him out to his car, she joked, “I thought you said it was no fun if there was no challenge?” 

“Again, the company makes all the difference,” he said with a smile before pulling her into a searing kiss. “Goodnight, Elena,” he whispered softly when they broke apart. 

“Goodnight, Damon,” she breathed out, still rocked when he kissed her like that, no matter how many times it happened.


	26. Chapter 26

When Damon got home, Stefan wasn’t home yet, so he grabbed a bottle of bourbon and a book to wait up. The sooner he started this conversation the more likely he was to make the deadline. It was another hour before Stefan walked in, and when he just nodded in greeting and headed for the stairs, Damon stopped him. “Hold up, Stef. Come here. We need to talk.” 

“Does it have to be tonight? I’m tired,” Stefan asked wearily. 

“Yes. At least we need to start the conversation tonight and then you can sleep on it,” Damon told him, pointing to the couch. 

Stefan sighed heavily but walked over and plopped down. Damon poured him a drink and handed it over before getting it all out there. “You need to tell Caroline you’re a vampire,” he said bluntly. 

“What? Why?” Stefan asked in shock. 

“Because if you don’t, then Elena will,” Damon told him. 

“Wait, since when does Elena know?” 

“Since today when I told her,” Damon said amusedly. He always enjoyed this game. 

“Why would you tell her?” 

“Because she deserved to know,” Damon said as though it should be obvious. “If she’s going to be dating a vampire she has a right to know. Which is the same argument she made with me when I tried to convince her to let you tell Caroline in your own time.” 

“But that’s…I can’t…what if…” 

“Spit it out, brother,” Damon chuckled. 

“What if she freaks out and tells everyone? What if she doesn’t freak out and wants to be turned? What if she hates me for it?” 

“If she freaks out then compel her. If she wants to be turned, then talk about it. I can’t do much about the last. Remember though, that’s all the same chances I took today too and I still did it.”

“Yeah, but you know that she’s your soulmate,” Stefan pointed out. 

“That doesn’t take away the risk,” Damon countered. 

“But it does lessen it.” 

“Maybe, but Elena is right. There’s only so long you can go without telling your girl the most basic fact of your existence. And I’m afraid you now have a two week deadline,” Damon said sympathetically. 

“Ugh. I’m going to bed. We’ll talk more about this tomorrow,” Stefan said, downing the last of his drink before heading up. 

The next morning, Damon was woken up by a pillow hitting him in the head and saw Stefan sitting on the end of his bed. “What?” he muttered in irritation. 

“How much does Elena know?” Stefan asked. 

“Pretty much everything about me. The bad stuff just in the broad strokes. Not much about you. I didn’t want to tell her too much without your permission. Nothing about the time travel. Can I go back to sleep now?”

“No,” Stefan told him. “How did she react?” 

“Pretty much how you’d expect. Shocked, then horrified, then curious.”

“But she accepted you?” he asked surprised. He was sure that his brother would be in much worse shape if he’d been rejected. “Even with the bad stuff?” 

“Once I assured her that the bad stuff was in the past, yeah,” Damon told him. 

“But Caroline is different,” Stefan said with a sigh. 

“Yeah. She is. But she’s stronger than you think. And one of the most loyal people I’ve ever known,” he assured his brother, giving up on getting back to sleep and sitting up to lean against the headboard. “You know I can’t promise how she’ll take it, especially since in my future she didn’t find out about vampires until she was one, but I think she’ll be okay.” 

“When and how did Elena find out last time?” Stefan asked curiously. “And did she take it as well then?” 

“You slipped up with her. Got a little bloodlusty during a makeout session apparently. You tried to cover it up, but she started digging and confronted you. It was just after you started dating, I’m not sure how long after, and she didn’t take it as well, no. But that time she hadn’t known you very long. And we didn’t know that she was supernatural to a point too and she just wanted to stay out of the whole thing. She didn’t stay out of it for long though. It just took her a little while to come to terms with it and go running back into your arms.”

“But now she’s known you for months and you have a tight bond with both her and her family and she knows that as a doppelganger she’ll be in it either way,” Stefan realized the difference. 

“Yes. And you and Caroline have been together for months. She knows you and trusts you. Don’t mess that up by letting her find out from someone else,” Damon advised. 

“Yeah. Okay. I guess I should tell her today so she has a few days to deal before school starts Monday,” Stefan said with a sigh. 

“That sounds like a good plan, little bro,” Damon said with a half-smile. 

“Any tips on how to tell her?” Stefan asked. 

“I took Elena to the ruins of the old estate for a little show and tell,” Damon told him with a shrug. 

“That sounds like a good idea,” Stefan said thoughtfully. 

“Pack a picnic lunch and maybe dinner too. You’ll probably be there for a while…unless she makes a run for it of course,” Damon joked as he got up and headed into the bathroom, getting a glare from his brother. 

By the time Damon got out of the shower, dressed, and downstairs, Stefan was gone and the kitchen was a mess. Damon rolled his eyes and took a minute to clean up, knowing that he would be blamed for the mess if he didn’t. Once that was done, he got in his car and headed to a nearby city to feed. He’d been so wrapped up in Elena the last few days that he hadn’t had a chance to do so and the blood bags weren’t nearly as satisfying. 

When he got back home a little after lunchtime, he pulled up just as Jeremy was headed back down the porch steps. “Hey, little Gilbert,” Damon said as he got out of the car. “What’s up?” 

Jeremy shrugged. “Just wanted to hang out for a while, but you weren’t home so…”

“I went out for lunch, but I’m home now, so come on in,” he said as he headed towards the house waiting for Jeremy to follow. 

“Is that blood on your shirt?” Jeremy asked concerned. 

“What?” Damon looked down and winced. “No. Ketchup. Let me go change real quick,” he said disappearing up the stairs, coming back a moment later with a fresh shirt. He ended up steering Jeremy away from the booze with the excuse that it was too early in the day, but they did light up a joint to share. They talked a lot about Jeremy’s worries about school starting back up and the pressure of dating a cheerleader and the worry of her dumping him because he’s not cool enough. Typical teenage stuff. 

Damon wanted to beat his head against the wall, as he usually did when dealing with such subjects, but he endured and did his best to help, including assuring him that Bonnie didn’t care how ‘cool’ he was and definitely wasn’t going to dump him for it, but might if he got too clingy and insecure. “You staying here tonight?” he asked Jeremy around dinnertime. 

“If that’s okay with you,” Jeremy said questioningly. 

“Of course,” Damon assured him. “You know you’re always welcome. I guess that means I should go start dinner though,” he chuckled. “Your aunt know where you are?” he had to ask. 

“Yeah. She does.”

“Good,” Damon said heading to the kitchen trying to decide what they had that he could whip up quickly and he settled on spaghetti. He made enough for Zach and Ric to have some if they happened to come back in time to eat. They were just sitting down at the table when Zach showed up. He thanked Damon for dinner as he joined them. Thankfully he was very used to keeping his head down and his mouth shut when the vampires were in town so there was never much said about Jeremy drinking, but there were plenty of disapproving looks. 

It wasn’t long before Stefan came home rolled his eyes at Jeremy’s almost drunk already state, and jerked his head for Damon to follow him. “I’ll be right back Jer. My other brother apparently needs me for something,” he joked, getting up to follow Stefan, not realizing how much that statement had meant to Jeremy. 

They ended up in Stefan’s room and Damon asked, “How did it go?” 

“She’s freaked,” Stefan said. “But I don’t think she’ll tell anyone. She said she wouldn’t anyway. I told her that Elena and Bonnie knew so she could talk to them about it.” 

“I’m sure she’ll come around soon,” Damon comforted him. “Especially with Elena and Bonnie on board already.” 

“I was going to tell her about Elena being a doppelganger, but the words wouldn’t come out,” Stefan said confused. 

Damon resisted the urge to punch him. “Good. She doesn’t need to know,” Damon snapped. “The whole point is to keep it secret. Elena needed to know since it’s about her. No one else does. You hear me? No one.” 

“Is the spell the reason I couldn’t say it?” 

“Probably. I could tell Elena because she is the focus of the spell. Otherwise, only a Bennett witch can tell anyone, and neither of them will say anything. They know how dangerous it is.”

“Okay. I’m sorry, Damon. For trying to tell her. I wasn’t even thinking.”

“Whatever,” Damon brushed it off. “Come on downstairs and have a few drinks with us. Get your mind off it.” 

As usual when Jeremy stayed there, Damon had to help him up the stairs once he reached the ready to pass out stage, but at least he didn’t have to force feed him the water anymore. He was smart enough to drink it himself now. The last thing he needed was to start sending the kid home with a hangover.


	27. Chapter 27

The next morning, Damon was just getting out of bed when his phone rang. “Damon. Sheila Bennett here. Do you have a moment to talk?”

“Sure. What’s up?” he asked worriedly. 

“I’ve been considering the issue of the vampires in the tomb and going through the grimoire to find out what spell was done, and it turns out that it can be undone when the comet is overhead because that’s when it’s at it’s weakest.” 

“That doesn’t sound like a good thing,” Damon said, grabbing a shirt and pulling it on. 

“It’s not. And I don’t much like the idea of me or Bonnie being at risk if someone tries to kidnap us and make us do it,” she told him. 

“So you wanna crack that sucker and torch them all?” Damon asked. 

“I think that’s the best idea, yes. The first night of the comet, preferably. Less time for any of these other unsavory types to try and intervene. You implied that you know where the talisman is?” 

Damon narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “I can find out from my sister Elena.”

“Sister?” Grams said confused. “She can’t be your sister.” 

“Just making sure you weren’t under duress,” Damon chuckled. “I do know where it is. It’ll take me a bit to get it, but I’ll make sure we have it in time,” he assured her. 

“Smart,” she said impressed. “Make sure you bring gasoline and a lighter too, and Damon?” 

“Hmm?” 

“If you try to release any of them, I’ll kill you,” she said evenly. 

“I would expect nothing less,” he assured her before hanging up and heading downstairs. He knew he would have a little while before Jeremy woke up, so he went looking for Zach. “Hey Zach. Do you have anything you need to get to the Lockwoods soon?” 

“I was going to take another load of vervain over there tomorrow. Why?” 

“You mind if I take it instead?” 

“Again I ask…why?” 

“Because me and a witch or two are gonna torch some dessicated vamps, but I need a talisman I hid in their mansion to get at them,” Damon told him with a roll of his eyes. One of these days Zach would stop questioning everything he did. 

Zach just shrugged. “Okay. I’ll leave it on the table in the morning and you can take it whenever.”

“Thanks Zach. I appreciate it,” Damon told him as he went to start making breakfast.

Jeremy didn’t come down until the food was hitting the table, following his nose more than his eyes. Luckily for him, he’d been here often enough over the last four months that he could navigate with his eyes closed. Damon snickered as he got an idea to leave something in his path next time he stayed over and see what happened. It was closer to lunchtime by the time they finished breakfast, but none of them cared. Once they finished eating, Damon drove Jeremy home and gratefully accepted the invitation to come in. 

He was barely in the door when Elena met him with a kiss, and he grinned and hugged her tightly against him as he returned it. It didn’t last long though since Jeremy, Jenna, and Ric were in the room. “Good morning to you too,” Damon said happily. 

“Hey Damon. Were you staying for lunch?” Jenna asked. 

“I’d be happy to stick around, but Jer and I just finished breakfast so I’m not really hungry,” Damon told her. 

“I am,” Jeremy said. 

“You’re fifteen. You’re always hungry,” Damon said pulling laughter from all of them. 

“Well you’re welcome to stay and I won’t be offended if you don’t eat,” Jenna said through her laughter. “I’m glad you’re here actually. There was something we wanted to talk to the kids about and since it concerns you too, you might as well be here for it.”

“Okay,” Damon said with a shrug, sitting down on the couch and wrapping his arm around Elena who wasted no time curling up to his side while Jeremy sat on her other side. He was pretty sure he knew what it was, but would let them broach the subject as they wished. 

“What do you kids think about the idea of Ric moving in here with us?” Jenna asked. 

Damon could see Ric’s nerves even if he couldn’t hear his heartbeat speed up and he smirked at his friend, only keeping his mouth shut because they were asking for Jeremy and Elena’s opinions instead of making the announcement. Elena was the first to answer. “Yeah, I’m good with it,” she said with a shrug. 

“Me too,” Jeremy agreed. He liked Ric a lot. Where he saw Damon as the cool older brother, he saw Ric as a father figure. 

“Then I guess it’s settled,” Ric said with a smile, glad that there were no objections. 

“Long as you don’t forget where the good booze is,” Damon joked. 

Ric rolled his eyes and shook his head. “I don’t plan to forget my best friend just because I’m moving out you know.”

“Then I’m good with it too. Not that anyone asked my opinion,” he pretended to be hurt by that and Elena elbowed him in the side as they laughed. Damon sat at the table with them and chatted while they all ate and then he headed back home with Ric to help him pack up, including pulling all of his stuff except the furniture from the basement. It took them four trips with both cars loaded, but they got everything moved before dinner. “Are there any objections to me stealing Elena away for dinner?” Damon asked. 

Elena grinned. “No objections from me,” she told him. When Jenna agreed too, Elena went to change into something more date appropriate. 

Once they were in the car and headed out, Elena asked him, “Do you like being a vampire?” 

“I love being a vampire,” he told her. “Sure there are downsides and all, but there are a lot more upsides.”

“Like what?” 

“Well among the downsides are the whole hunger thing. No matter how much you drink you still want more. The enhanced emotions I mentioned can get overwhelming sometimes, but that has as much good as bad. The increased senses are mostly good, but the touch part can suck when you get hurt. That’s pretty much it for the bad. On the good side, everything is so much more vibrant and exciting and intense. I can drive insanely fast and not have to worry about getting in an accident and running fast is pretty fun too. I can be stupid and reckless and not have to worry about dying from simple things. There’s a kind of freedom to it,” he told her. 

“So you would never want to be human again if it were possible?”

Damon considered how to answer that question without giving too much away. “There are good things about being human too. It’s not possible though.” He had finally managed to come to terms with that. “Why do you ask?” 

Elena shrugged. “Just wondering is all,” she told him, not wanting to admit that she was considering the idea. At least not yet. They hadn’t been together long enough to be talking forever. “So there’s a party on Tuesday night. An annual back to school bash in the woods behind the park. You wanna come with me?” 

“Obviously,” Damon told her. “Two things I can never resist. Party and you. Put them together and no isn’t even an option.” 

She laughed happily and reached over to take his hand as he drove. “Where are we going?” she asked. 

“There aren’t enough restaurants in Mystic Falls,” he chuckled. 

“You’re not wrong there,” she agreed. When the conversation lapsed, she got up the nerve to say something she’d been thinking about since she’d learned about it. “Would it bother you if I told you that I’ve caught myself looking at people’s necks for bite marks?” 

Damon laughed. “No. It wouldn’t. But I don’t feed in town,” he told her. “I always go to a city nearby. Where there isn’t a council full of vampire nuts that would have a fit if people started walking around with bite marks.” 

“Oh. Right. So you wouldn’t bite me then?” she asked. 

Damon did a double take at her. “Would you want me to?” 

“I don’t know. Maybe,” she said with a shrug. 

“Well when you have a certain answer to that, just let me know. There are ways to hide it if you’re careful,” he told her. 

“You don’t care if other people want it or not,” she pointed out. 

“Other people aren’t my girlfriend,” Damon said pointedly. “They’re just strangers in the street that I’ll never see again. Does that bother you?” 

Elena beamed at the girlfriend comment. They hadn’t gotten around to defining their relationship really, but that was a pretty clear definition. “No. Not really. I mean, they’re not hurt by it and you need it to survive so…” 

“Technically, I could survive on blood from blood banks, and do supplement my diet with them when getting to the city is inconvenient,” Damon admitted. 

“Why don’t you then?” Elena asked non-judgmentally. 

“Think of it like having stale cold leftovers for every meal,” he explained. She scrunched up her nose in distaste. “Plus too much blood going missing can raise questions, he added. 

“Yeah, I get it. So no. It doesn’t bother me,” she assured him. 

Damon smiled as they pulled into the restaurant, wondering where this acceptance came from. She had hated the idea last time around. It took him a few minutes to realize that it could have been because her first experience with vampires before had been Stefan. The animal blood enthusiast who couldn’t stomach human blood without going on a murderous rampage. He could admit that he might have had something to do with it too, since he was killing people and seriously hurting them when he didn’t at the time. All she saw was the two extremes until her opinion was firmly set.


	28. Chapter 28

When they walked into the restaurant and the hostess came to take them to a table, Elena’s eyebrow raised at the sight of her. Once they were seated and alone, she asked Damon, “Is this some kind of test or something?” 

“What do you mean?” Damon asked confused. 

“Have you fed in this city recently?” 

“Yesterday. Why?” 

“The waitress,” she told him with a chuckle. 

He didn’t quite get it until she came back to get their drink order and he noticed the bite on her neck and he gave Elena a sheepish shrug. Once she took their order and left, he told her, “No this isn’t a test. Just a coincidence. And she wasn’t from yesterday. Her bites are too healed. They’re about a week old.” 

“Would it bother you if I ask her some questions about it?” Elena asked him. 

“Not at all,” he told her. “Just try not to in the future if I’m not there. Just in case the compulsion breaks when she thinks too hard about it, I’ll need to be there to redo it.”

“Can that happen?” 

“Not that I know of, but there’s a first time for everything,” Damon said with a shrug as she was coming back with their drinks. 

“What happened to your neck. That looks painful,” Elena said sympathetically. 

She reached up to touch it. “Oh that? I just bumped into something. Barely felt it really,” she shrugged. “You ready to order?” 

Once they ordered and she walked off again, Elena laughed. “Bumped into something? You couldn’t give her a better story than that?” 

Damon shook his head amusedly. “I didn’t give her the story. I just told her to forget what happened. I usually let their own subconscious fill in whatever story it wants. It’s cleaner that way. Fewer holes. Though I did have a little fun with the compulsions back in forty seven after the whole Roswell thing,” he said with a smirk. 

“Oh do tell,” Elena said leaning forward excitedly. 

“I kept compelling people to think that they were abducted by aliens,” he grinned as she burst into laughter. 

“That’s so mean,” she managed to say after a minute.

Damon knew that she couldn’t actually be bothered by it since she was laughing so hard. “I know.” 

After a leisurely dinner, they took a long walk through the city. “Can I see you feed?” Elena asked curiously after a while. 

“Why all the curiosity?” Damon asked amusedly. 

Elena shrugged. “Just trying to understand as much as I can,” she told him. “If I’m going to consider letting you feed on me one day, I want to see what it’s like first.” 

Damon couldn’t really argue with that. He had no problem with her seeing it anyway. He wouldn’t want her to see him kill, but this he could do. He led her into a deserted alley and waited until someone walked by alone, which didn’t take long and he grabbed the woman and pulled her into the alley, looking into her eyes. “Don’t scream and stay still,” he compelled. Sometimes he enjoyed the struggle, but that was usually when he was in a bad mood and he didn’t want Elena to see that part. Not yet anyway. He brushed the woman’s hair back from her neck and tilted her head to the side before biting in and taking a long drink, using his tongue to clean up any residual blood before pulling back again. “Nothing out of the ordinary happened tonight. Your neck doesn’t hurt,” he compelled again and she walked off in a daze before snapping out of it once she was back in the street. Damon turned to look at Elena, a little nervous about her reaction as he licked the last of the blood from his lips. “You okay, Elena?” 

She nodded. “Yeah. I’m good,” she told him. “That didn’t look so bad.” She walked over and pulled him into a kiss, tasting the coppery blood in his mouth, but she wasn’t turned off by it. When she pulled back, she pulled her hair to the side. “Now me?” she asked. 

Damon moaned, hands tightening around her hips, as he leaned his head down, brushing his lips against her bare neck. “You have no idea how badly I want to,” he breathed out. “But the neck isn’t the best place if we’re trying to stay under the radar in Mystic Falls.”

She shivered at the feel of his lips on her neck and ran her hands through her hair to hold him there. “Maybe I can wear a scarf for a while? Or collared shirts?” 

“Or you could just be super careful for the next day and take a bit of my blood to heal it,” Damon suggested in a whisper, breaths coming heavily. 

“Okay,” Elena agreed, pulling his head tighter against her neck. “Drink, Damon,” she shivered in anticipation. She gasped when she felt the teeth sink into her neck and the feeling of her blood leaving her was almost intoxicating. Her life was quite literally in his hands right now and there was nothing she could do to fight it. When she felt the slight edge of dizziness creep in, the blood stopped flowing and she felt his tongue sliding across her neck before he pulled back. 

Damon took a pocketknife out of his pocket, not wanting to bite his wrist open. Not this time. He put the knife against his neck and made a small nick, pulling her lips to it and he moaned when he felt her sucking on it. He pulled her tightly against him and he knew that she could feel his straining erection, but he was sure it wasn’t the first time. By the time she stopped and stepped back, they were both breathing heavily. “You good?” he asked. 

“Yeah,” she panted. ‘Other than wanting to rip your clothes off right here’ she didn’t say. 

“Give me a minute and then we’ll go,” he told her, trying to get himself under control. It was almost ten by the time they got back to the car and he drove her home, kissing her deeply on the porch before he left. He went home and took a very long shower before passing out early. He wouldn’t be seeing Elena tomorrow since it was the last day before school started and she had things to do, but on Monday he agreed to go to her cheerleading practice and then take her to dinner afterwards. 

Sunday morning he woke up and found a box on the table and remembered that he was supposed to be taking the vervain to the Lockwoods, so he grabbed it and headed out. Carol was the one who opened the door when he got there, and she smiled brightly at him. “Damon. Nice to see you. I was expecting your uncle.”

“I know, but Uncle Zach had some things to do today and asked if I wouldn’t mind bringing it by for him.”

“Of course. It’s not a problem. Come on in,” she told him. “You can just set it on the table there while I go get the check.” 

“Thank you, Carol,” he said charmingly, waiting until she left the room to vamp speed upstairs, grab the talisman, and get back down before she came back. 

“Make sure you tell Zach thank you,” she told him. 

“Absolutely. You have a great day, Carol,” he told her as he left. Once he was back in the car, he texted Bonnie that he had it and was on his way.

Sheila met him at the door, probably not trusting Bonnie not to invite him in. “You’re not planning to come with us?” she asked him. 

“Oh I am. I just thought this would be safer in your hands since you have better means to protect it. Four days is a long time for something to happen.” 

“Okay then. We’ll meet at the tomb at sundown,” she told him and Damon nodded before heading out. 

When he got to the school to watch the cheer practice, he was more than a little surprised to find Stefan trying out for the football team. His brother hadn’t mentioned that. While he mostly watched Elena, he did glance over at Stefan every so often too. When she came up to him afterwards and gave him a kiss, he said, “You didn’t look like you were having much fun.” 

Elena sighed as she got in his car. “I wasn’t,” she admitted. “Honestly, my heart’s just not in it anymore. My mom was a cheerleader when she was in school and this was the life she wanted for me and…”

“But what do you want for yourself, Elena,” Damon asked sincerely, looking into her eyes. 

“I don’t know, but not that. I think I’m gonna quit the squad,” she told him. 

“If that’s what you really want, you have my complete support,” he told her before breaking into a smirk. “Even though I’ll miss out on seeing you in that hot cheerleader outfit.” She laughed and smacked him as he put the car into drive and pulled out. “Do you have a school night curfew?” he asked. 

“Yeah. Ten. But I should be home sooner so I can get my homework done,” she told him. 

“Homework on the first day,” he said with a grimace. “Ouch. And people call me a monster.” 

She grinned and shook her head. “You’re not a monster, Damon.” 

He smiled brightly at her as they pulled out of the parking lot. “Given the lack of time, we have two choices for dinner. We can either go to the grill or I can take you to my place and cook something,” he suggested. 

“Hmm. As much as I love the second option, I would rather do that when we have more time, so let’s go to the grill tonight.” 

“As my lady wishes,” Damon waggled his eyebrows and turned in that direction.


	29. Chapter 29

It seemed like half the town was in the grill tonight and Damon ended up compelling a couple teenagers away from a booth so they could sit down. “Damon,” Elena scolded amusedly. 

“What? It’s not like they were eating. They were obviously just hanging out,” he defended himself. 

“You have a point,” she admitted as she sat down and curled up to his side. 

It was only a few minutes before Caroline and Stefan walked up. “Do you mind if we join you?” Caroline asked. “This place is crazy tonight.”

“Not at all,” Damon said waving a hand across from them in invitation. “I’m guessing you two are all better now?” 

Before they could answer the waitress came to take their drink order, but then Caroline said, “Yeah. We are. I mean, I was totally freaked by the whole…” she glanced around before whispering the next word, “vampire thing, but then I realized that it doesn’t really change anything with us. Thanks for talking me through my freakout,” she told Elena. 

“You’re welcome, Caroline,” she said cheerfully. “I’m glad I could help.” 

“I’m guessing she’s the reason that you actually tried out for the football team, Stef?” Damon asked amusedly. 

“Yeah. She thought it would be a good idea to get me more social and give us more time together and all,” he admitted. 

“Please tell me you two are coming to the party tomorrow,” Caroline said perkily. 

“We wouldn’t miss it,” Damon assured her. Dinner ended up taking more than an hour given how busy they were, but conversation definitely didn’t lag with Caroline around. Damon ended up dropping Elena off a little after nine, but with their goodnights, she didn’t go inside until almost nine thirty. 

The next night, Damon picked Elena up for the party at five and they had a lot of fun. So much so that Elena couldn’t hold back anymore. They were walking over the small lit up footbridge and stopped to look out over the stream. Damon stepped up behind her and wrapped his arms around her stomach and leaned his head against hers. She leaned her head back to look at him, and said, “I love you, Damon.” 

Damon grinned and leaned down to kiss her softly before whispering, “I love you too.” 

She kissed him again, longer this time before she turned back to watch the lights playing over the water, leaning back against him without a care in the world. After a little while of comfortable silence, Damon decided to tell her what he would be doing in a few nights. “I’m not going to be available Thursday night,” he told her. 

“Oh?” she asked, wondering if he planned to share why. 

“The Bennett witches and myself are going to be opening the tomb and torching the vampires so no one else can try and rescue them.” 

“Can I come with?” she asked hopefully. 

“No. Absolutely not. It’s too dangerous,” Damon said firmly, already knowing he was going to lose this argument if she really wanted to go, but not able to resist trying. 

“What kind of danger? Aren’t they all like starved or something?” 

“Yes, but there’s no guarantee that someone won’t try to stop us,” he pointed out. 

“Bonnie will be there,” she argued. 

“Bonnie has her own magic and her grandmother there to protect her,” Damon told her. 

“And I’ll have my locket and you there to protect me,” she said smugly, turning in his arms to look at him. “Please don’t keep me locked away some fragile little girl, Damon. If I’m going to be a part of your world, I need to get used to things like this and this seems pretty low risk.” 

Damon sighed and nodded. “Okay. If you insist. But please just do me a favor and stay out of the way if things go to hell?” 

“I promise,” she told him, giving him a quick kiss in thanks. 

“Your stubborn streak is going to give me grey hairs you know,” he said wryly. He’d never won one of these arguments before, and he doubted that he ever would. 

“But you love me anyway,” she said with a grin. 

“Yes. I do,” he smiled pulling her into a lingering kiss as one hand brushed her hair behind her ear. “More than you know,” he whispered. She sighed happily and hugged him, resting her head on his chest as his hands ran over her back and he rested his head on hers. “Just let me know when you’re ready for more of my story,” he told her. 

“How about this weekend?” she suggested. “We can take the day together on Saturday.”

“Okay. That sounds good,” he said, holding her for a little while longer before saying. “We should get back to the party.” 

She nodded against his chest before letting go and stepping back. “Damon?” 

“Hmm?” 

“I love you,” she said with a grin, just wanting to say it again. 

He grinned back and pressed a short kiss to her lips. “I love you too, baby.” 

On Thursday night, Damon picked Elena up for a ‘date’ as far as Jenna knew. Ric was already gone. He was meeting them there. Damon felt much better with him as backup to help keep Elena safe. Damon and Elena waited up top for Ric before heading down where Sheila and Bonnie were waiting. “I didn’t know anyone else was coming,” Sheila said suspiciously eyeing Elena and Ric. 

“Slight change of plans,” Damon said apologetically. “Elena insisted on being here and I felt better with a vampire hunter watching all our backs.”

Sheila huffed. “As long as the change of plans doesn’t involve letting any of them live,” she said in irritation. 

“Not a chance,” Damon said. 

“That torch by the door is for the tomb,” Sheila said. “Everyone ready?” When she got nods all around, she placed the amulet around her neck and took Bonnie’s hands and they began to chant, all of the torches in the place flaring high and bathing them all in heat. Damon ignored the chills running up his back at the scene. Fire and witches wasn’t exactly the most comfortable situation for the vampire. 

It didn’t take long for the tomb door to pop out of the wall and Damon went over and pried it away. “Ric, grab a gas can. You’re with me. Everyone else stay here,” Damon told them, grabbing one of the gas cans himself. 

It took about ten minutes to make sure that every dessicated vampire in the place was doused thoroughly before they headed back out. Before he could grab the torch and toss it in, Damon found himself thrown across the cavern and heard a broken scream of “Nooo!” 

Damon picked himself up and charged Anna before she could run into the tomb and slammed her against the wall. “Ric!” he called for help. He didn’t have a stake on him. 

“Little busy, Damon,” he called back, trying to keep another vampire away from Elena while the witches each had one on their knees in pain. 

Before Damon could do anything else he was skidding across the floor again and the fight was on. Anna was so much older than him which meant she was stronger. It took a minute before he had an idea. “Sheila, get her. I’ll take yours,” he called, waiting until Anna grabbed her head and doubled over before he rushed to grab the now free young one and break his neck. Bonnie still had control of hers so his next priority was Ric and Elena. He grabbed the vampire after them and threw him hard against the wall, rushing over and breaking his neck too. “Stake those two while I take the fight out of the others,” Damon told Ric, not waiting to see if he followed directions before first snapping Anna’s neck and then the vampire Bonnie was holding. 

Once all four of them were dead, Damon rushed over to check on Elena. “Are you okay,” he asked roaming his eyes and hands over her body looking for any wounds, despite not smelling any blood. 

“I’m fine, Damon. Are you okay?” He nodded. “Let’s just finish this then,” she said shakily. 

Damon nodded and Ric helped him toss all four of the dead vampires into the tomb as well before he grabbed the torch and threw it as far as he could, breathing a sigh of relief as the flames whooshed. He wasn’t the only one who relaxed. “Well. Now we wait,” he said heading over to the back wall and slumping to the floor. “Would one of you mind going and grabbing me a blood bag from the car? I’m in need of a bit of healing.” 

Elena knelt in front of him and bared her neck. “You don’t need a blood bag, Damon.”

Damon smiled wryly at her and brushed a hand down her cheek. “Yes I do,” he said, pulling her into a hug and whispering. “Don’t want to offend anyone here.” 

“As long as she’s volunteering of her own free will and you keep control and don’t hurt her, I don’t care,” Sheila told him. Damon raised an eyebrow at her. “I have very good ears,” she smirked. “And your relationship is your business. Not mine.” 

“Up to you then baby,” Damon told Elena. 

“Take what need,” she told him, leaning her head to the side. 

He pressed a soft kiss to her neck before sinking his teeth in and taking a good long drink. Elena didn’t even have the tinge of dizziness this time before he stopped and used his tongue to clean her off, pressing a few more kisses to her neck as he felt his body healing. He bit his tongue and slathered the blood over the wounds and watched them heal. “Now you have to be extremely careful not to die for the next day or so, okay?” 

“I know, Damon,” she said with a smile, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. “You’re okay now?” 

“Right as rain,” he told her. “Thank you.” 

“Have you ever done that before?” Bonnie asked worriedly. 

“Once. Just out of curiosity,” Elena told her. “And it was my idea,” she added. “So what are we waiting for?” Ric took that moment to ask, trying to cut the tension. 

“To make sure no one comes to rescue them before the job is done,” Damon told him. “Now that the door is open, it’s a risk.” He grinned and looked around. “Anyone bring marshmallows?” That actually got a laugh from everyone, even if the thought disgusted them. 

The next two hours were spent with all of them sitting around and talking before the fire finally died down. Since the tomb was all made of rock, there was nothing to burn but the bodies and the gas made them burn quickly. Damon got to his feet. “Anyone who needs to see with their own eyes to be sure, you’re welcome to follow me,” he said as he headed back into the tomb. 

“I think I’m good,” Bonnie said with a sick look on her face as she stepped back next to Elena. 

“I’ll stay here and keep them safe,” Ric offered, not really wanting to inspect dead vampire corpses either. 

“I’m coming with you,” Sheila said, following him inside. She did need to see with her own eyes. She trusted Damon as much as she would ever trust any vampire, but that wasn’t saying a whole lot. Once she had confirmation that there was nothing more than piles of ash in the tomb they headed back out and all went their separate ways.

Damon turned to Elena and Ric. “You should both come shower at the boarding house. You reek of burned flesh. I hope you both remembered to bring a change of clothes.” Thankfully they both did.

They got back to the boarding house, Damon was met by an almost frantic Stefan. “How did it go? Was everything okay?” 

Damon shooed Ric and Elena up to the showers. Ric used his old one while Elena, after getting directions to the right room, used Damon’s. He was smart enough to wait downstairs while she showered though. There was no point in putting that kind of temptation in front of him. He had no intention of rushing her into anything, even if Stefan wasn’t demanding his attention. “Everything’s fine. There was a bit of a dustup when Anna and some buddies objected to us killing her mother, but it’s handled. Thanks to the witches, we took them all out and burned them with the rest.”

“I still wish you had let me come,” Stefan huffed. 

“I know. But Grandma Bennett would have had a fit if I brought another vampire around. She was unhappy enough with the two extra humans.” 

“I get that, but I still hate it,” Stefan grumbled. 

“I know,” Damon said sympathetically. 

When Ric and Elena came back down, smelling much better, Ric was the one that asked, “Have you considered how we’re going to explain coming home in different clothes than we left with to Jenna?” 

Damon blinked for a moment. “No, actually. I haven’t. I could compel her not to notice?” he suggested sheepishly. 

Ric and Elena looked at each other before shrugging. “I guess. That’s harmless enough. But don’t make a habit of compelling my girlfriend,” Ric told him. 

“I won’t,” Damon assured him before heading out to take Elena home. Ric was going to hang out for a while. 

When Damon walked her to the door, he gave her a searing kiss. “Thank you again, Elena,” he said softly. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Damon,” she said happily before opening the door to let him in. 

“Elena? Did you change?” Jenna asked suspiciously, eyeing Damon. 

Damon met her eyes and said, “Elena and Ric are both coming home with the same clothes they left with.” 

When he looked away, Jenna looked dazed for a moment before saying, “Thanks for bringing her home early, Damon.” 

“You’re welcome Jenna,” he said before pressing one more short kiss to Elena’s lips and saying, “Goodnight.” 

Once he was on the way home, he called Sheila. “Hey, it’s Damon. I wanted to check in on you and see how you’re feeling.”

“I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?” she asked. 

“Last time we opened the tomb the magic was too much for you and you died. Granted we didn’t have the amulet then and the seal was stronger since the comet was further away and you had to power through it instead of just taking it down, but still.”

“Well…I appreciate that,” she said, actually touched by his concern. 

“Well you are my second favorite witch,” Damon joked. “I was also hoping you wouldn’t mind if I borrow the truth talisman again on Saturday?” he asked hopefully. “I’m going to tell Elena about the time travel.”

“You’ll have it back here before ten pm,” she ordered. 

“Deal,” he told her. “I’ll pick it up Saturday morning.”

“See you then,” she said as she hung up. She did take a moment to tell Bonnie where it was just in case, but after that she put the thought of her dying out of her mind. 

When Damon got home, he joined Ric and Stefan for a few rounds of drinks before he left too. “I’ll send yours and Elena’s clothes back with Elena on Saturday after they’re cleaned and desmelled.” 

“Thanks Damon. And thanks for trusting me to watch your back,” Ric told him. “Again.”

“No, thank you for keeping Elena safe,” Damon told him. “I can never repay you for that.” 

“Anytime, buddy,” Ric told him clapping him on the shoulder before he walked out.


	30. Chapter 30

Damon picked Elena up at ten am on Saturday, after swinging by the Bennett house to get the talisman, glad to see Sheila still alive and well. The conversation was kept light on the drive and Damon parked them in a field in the middle of nowhere. “Where are we?” Elena asked curiously, wondering if this place had any significance to the story he was about to tell like his childhood home had to the last one. 

Damon hopped up to sit on the hood of the car, leaning against the windshield and patted the space next to him. Once she joined him, he said, “That’ll be part of the story. First though, I want you to hold this in your hand and try to tell me a lie.” 

Elena took it and opened and closed her mouth a few times, clearly trying to say something before she looked confused and tried something else. “I love you,” she did manage to say. 

Damon grinned, glad for the confirmation of that fact, despite never having doubted it. He reached out and took it from her. “This is a talisman I borrowed from the Bennetts for the day. As long as it’s in contact with your skin, you can’t tell a lie,” he explained. 

Elena rolled her eyes. “Damon, you know I trust you. I don’t need proof.” 

“I know,” Damon told her. “But at the same time, what I’m about to tell you is such a far-fetched story that I wouldn’t believe it either if I wasn’t living it.” Like he had with Ric, he held it in his open palm so that she could see the skin contact. “I travelled back in time from ten years in the future.”

“Okay,” Elena said unfazed. “Why? How?” Damon raised a curious eyebrow at her and she laughed. “Damon, two weeks ago I didn’t believe in vampires. Time travel isn’t that much of a stretch when you consider that. I take it it’s not something that happens often though?” Otherwise he wouldn’t be expecting such disbelief about it. 

“It’s never happened ever as far as I know,” Damon told her. “As for the why, the best I understand, since the supernatural afterlife was destroyed, all supernatural beings were judged and sent to either peace or torment. According to who I call the powers that be, I was on the path to redemption when I died and since I died in a heroic act of self-sacrifice I wasn’t eligible for torment, but I hadn’t redeemed myself enough for peace either, so they sent me back ten years to give me time to earn one way or the other.” 

“When did you come back?” she asked. 

“The night of the accident. Too late to stop it, but I tried to mitigate the damage as much as possible.” 

“What damage was there last time?” Elena asked worriedly, wondering if she’d died too. 

“Last time, I wasn’t there. I had left after our conversation and didn’t know what had happened. Stefan was the one who jumped in and saved you, but not until you were almost dead. Neither of your parents made it out of that car at all, and he left you unconscious on the bank of the river for the paramedics to find,” Damon told her. 

Elena took a few deep breaths to come to terms with that. Same outcome, just not the same way. “Thank you for trying,” she said with a sad smile. “Wait…when I talked to you that night. Was it you you or the other you?” 

Damon laughed. “It was me, me,” he told her, only having followed that statement because he knew her so well. “I came back to the moment we met. They told me they were sending me back to when I first met my soulmate,” Damon said nervously. 

“S-soulmate,” Elena breathed out as a smile slowly blossomed on her face. “That makes so much sense. Why I always felt so drawn to you. How I fell in love with you from the start. How being around you always made me feel better.”

Damon smiled and reached the hand that wasn’t holding the talisman out to brush down her cheek. “And you’ve always been the same for me.”

“So we were together in your future?” she asked hopefully. 

“We had a long hard road, but we finally found our way, yes,” he told her. 

“Tell me about it?” she asked, leaning back down beside him again and putting her head on his shoulder. 

“Well first of all, I compelled you to forget our meeting in the road. I didn’t want anyone to know I was back in town yet,” he told her. 

“But you didn’t this time. And then you stayed with me after the accident and outed yourself to everyone.” 

“For two reasons. First, you always hated compulsions with a passion and I promised you years ago to never compel you without your permission. Second, I couldn’t bear to leave you alone with that kind of grief.”

She smiled and cuddled tighter against his side. “Thank you.” 

“Always, my love,” he said softly. “So you hadn’t realized that we’d met before by the time we officially met and by then, you and Stefan were together.”

“I dated Stefan?” she asked distastefully. “What about Caroline?” 

“Caroline was who he ended up marrying almost ten years later. I just steered him her way a little early this time,” Damon told her. “And yes. You dated Stefan. And you were happy with him.”

“But the connection between us…I had to have felt it anyway,” she told him confused. 

“You did,” he told her. “But you fought it tooth and nail and for very good reason. See, I wasn’t quite so well adjusted as I am now,” he chuckled. “I had this issue where I didn’t let anyone see the good in me because when people see good, they expect good and I didn’t want to have to live up to anyone’s expectations. Stupid I know, but that’s where I was. I was trying to be the monster that people saw in me. The more time I spent around you the more I started to change though.”

“I just can’t see you ever being a monster,” Elena told him. 

“I did have my redeeming qualities. I just kept them well hidden. As far as my actions, I was pretty bad though. I killed people just because I could. I turned Caroline into a walking blood bank. I fed on her constantly and not gently and kept compelling her to forget while I slept with her. I turned Jeremy’s first girlfriend into a vampire and then set her lose and Stefan had to kill her when she attacked you and Jeremy.”

“Bonnie?” Elena asked in shock. 

“No. In my future, Jeremy and Bonnie didn’t get together until much later, though I did try to kill Bonnie a few times. She tried to kill me a few times too though, so we’re kinda even on that one.”

“Then who…”

“Vicki Donovan,” Damon told her. “The night she died was the first time my remorse overwhelmed me. And the first time you saw something redeemable in me. I put on a good show for a while, pretending not to care while you yelled at me and hit me, but I could feel myself starting to break so I ordered you to leave. Implied that your bleeding wounds were tempting me until you ran and then I took her body and buried it. When I came back, I was coming to your house to check on you. I wasn’t planning on letting anyone see me, but I heard you asking Stefan to compel Jeremy to forget, but he couldn’t. He didn’t have that ability. I did though and I stepped up and offered to do it. Told him exactly what you wanted me to, and took his pain away.” 

“That’s more like the Damon I know,” she said with a smile. 

“It was short-lived,” he admitted. “I struggled for so long after that, caught between who I was and who I was becoming. I felt like I didn’t have any control anymore and that just made the times I acted out worse. I even killed Jeremy once, but he was wearing an enchanted ring that brought him back to life.”

“Did you know he was wearing it?” Elena asked, trying not to be mad at him for things that he hadn’t done in this timeline. 

Damon sighed heavily. “You asked me that then too. First I lied and said that I did, but when you looked me in the eyes and asked for the truth, I admitted that I didn’t know. Just one example of how much control you have over me. I told you then that I got lucky with the ring. I didn’t know what I would have done if he wasn’t wearing it. I just lost my temper and lashed out. I basically came as close to baring my soul as I ever had for you to turn around and tell me that I had lost your friendship forever. You forgave me soon enough though. You always did. No matter what awful things I did, you always forgave me.”

“I can believe that. I hate thinking of myself that way, but knowing how I feel about you…I can see it.”

“I hated doing that to you too. That’s why I finally ended up getting my shit together in the end. But there’s still a lot more to the story before we get there. Oh, before that happened though, there was the moment that our connection first became obvious. The Miss Mystic Falls pageant. Stefan was your escort, but he was going through a little addiction issue at the time and stood you up. I was in the crowd and when you two were announced I saw you coming down the stairs and the look on your face when you realized that he wasn’t there waiting for you almost tore me apart, so I did the only thing I could do. I slipped through the crowd and took his place, escorting you outside and doing the dance and that was the moment I truly fell in love with you.”


	31. Chapter 31

“When did I fall in love with you?” she asked. 

“I’m getting there,” he chuckled. “Almost a year from now, I was bitten by a werewolf which is fatal to vampires, but there was a cure. The blood of the only existing werewolf/vampire hybrid who was about as evil a being as you’d ever know and had spent months trying to kill us all. Stefan went to try and bargain for the cure, while you stayed with me. I wasn’t a pretty sight. I was dying and in agony, and I was so afraid I would hurt you, since usually vampires go rabid from the bite. Knowing what I do now, I think that it was our soulmate connection that made me immune to that effect, but since I didn’t know that, I kept trying to get you to leave so that I didn’t hurt you, but you refused to go. You got up on the bed and held me. Cried for me. Despite everything I had done. All the pain I’d put you through. You cried for me. You were there for me when I was at my lowest point. I wouldn’t admit it then, but I was terrified of dying. You made it seem not so bad. Among my many deathbed confessions and apologies, I told you that I loved you. That I knew that you loved Stefan and that was okay, but I still loved you anyway. You told me that you liked me, just the way I was, and then you kissed me. Just like this,” he said leaning down and pressing his lips lightly to hers. 

“But you didn’t die,” she said shakily as her tears fell onto his shirt. 

“No. The cure arrived just in the nick of time. Unfortunately, the only payment that the hybrid would accept for it was Stefan.”

“He killed him?” 

“Worse,” Damon told her. “He made him turn off his humanity and become his enforcer.”

“Oh god,” she said horrified. 

“It was bad. I won’t go into details. That’s not my story to tell, but I will tell you it was bad. Either way, I was left with you and I did my best. I tried to keep you safe, to hide the worst of his actions from you even as I tried to track him down and bring him home. I tried to be there for you in your grief. It was so much. I lost it a couple times during that period, but not nearly as often or as badly as I had before. The responsibility was good for me I think. Then came the moment that you fell in love with me.” He smiled as the memory played in his head. “It was your eighteenth birthday and Caroline had thrown you a party. You didn’t want to go though. You were still hurting too badly. I knew you needed it though. Needed one night to let loose and have fun. I came up to get you and you were trying to put on a brave face but I told you ‘it’s your party, you can cry if you want to’.”

“That’s the same thing you said to me on my last birthday,” she chuckled. 

“Hey, it worked once. I had to take a shot,” he joked. “But then I gave you your birthday present. I found the necklace that Stefan had given you when you first started dating. It had been stolen before he disappeared. You told me later that was when you fell in love with me. That you knew how much it hurt me to give you the necklace that gave you hope for you and Stefan but I did it anyway. You hadn’t realized before then that I would have done anything to see even the ghost of a smile on your face. Even if it meant ripping out my own heart to do it.” 

“And that’s when we got together?” she asked. 

“No,” he said with a wry smile. “You were still trying to be loyal to Stefan and I had no intention of pushing you. I knew that I didn’t deserve you. That I wasn’t good for you. That didn’t stop me from one selfish moment though. We had almost got Stefan back, but failed. We were having a heart to heart where I told you that he had a good reason for messing up our plan to kill the hybrid. He was trying to save my life. I admitted that I felt guilty for loving my brother’s girlfriend. You pulled away so I turned to leave. I only made it a few steps before I decided that if I was going to feel guilty anyway that I was going to do something to feel guilty for and I turned back and kissed you. I couldn’t believe that you actually kissed me back. That was the end of it though. That one moment was all we had for a long time. It wasn’t long after that when we did get Stefan back and you two picked up where you left off. For a little while at least. He picked up on the connection between us though and asked you to choose. He even sent us on a road trip errand together to give you a chance to figure out what you wanted.”

“I can only imagine how that went,” she smiled as she snuggled against him. 

“You would be partially right,” he told her. “There was a moment. I admitted to you why I didn’t let people see the good in me and you got frustrated and walked off. I went after you and you turned around and kissed me. It got pretty heated, but then Jeremy interrupted us. He had found a lead for the next leg of our trip and that was that. Soon after, you chose Stefan.”

“No,” she shook her head in denial. “I wouldn’t.” 

“You did,” he told her. “You told me that if you had met me first that things might have been different and I hated myself then for taking that memory of our first meeting from you, but I knew it was for the best. I was too messed up to deserve you. On your way to him though, you were in an accident. You had been in the hospital earlier that day with a fatal head injury. None of us knew that the doctor was experimenting with vampire blood. My blood. And used it to heal you. You died in the accident and turned into a vampire and that changed everything.”

“How so?” 

“You and Stefan started drifting further apart and you and I got closer. Eventually you two broke up and not long after that, you were commiserating with me about all the things that had gone wrong in your life lately. It was right after the next Miss Mystic Falls pageant, and then you told me that you wished you’d had a chance to dance with me like we had at the last one. Of course, I got up and held out my hand and we danced right there in front of the fireplace at the boarding house. Then it became more and we ended up in bed together. I had never been so happy in my life. I thought I had it all.”

“I’m guessing by that tone, it didn’t end up so well,” she said, almost dreading hearing about it. 

“No. It didn’t. Because the next day, I found out that we had a rare sire bond. That meant that you were essentially my slave. You had no choice but to do anything I wanted you to do. I felt sick. Like I had taken advantage of you. You pointed out that the sire bond couldn’t change your feelings. Just your actions. You told me that you loved me anyway, but when I couldn’t find a way to break the bond, I had to send you away. I couldn’t believe that you could really love me without it and even if you did, you still had no control over your actions as long as I was around. I gave you one last order to leave me.”

Elena’s tears were falling heavy on Damon’s shirt now. “That…I can’t…”

“That was pretty much your reaction then too,” Damon said with a sad smile, running a comforting hand through her hair as he kissed her head. “But then there was hope. We learned about a cure for vampirism. If you could take the cure and be human again, the sire bond would be gone. Jeremy was the key to finding it, so he and I secluded ourselves at your family’s lake house while I trained him. When we were ready, a whole group of us went after the cure. Unfortunately, we didn’t realize until we got there that getting it meant waking up an ancient evil. Something more than any of us could handle. He killed Jeremy and almost killed the rest of us and you went off the deep end. I could only see one way to fix it. It was the stupidest thing I’ve ever done though. I used the sire bond to make you turn off your humanity.” 

“No!” Elena said horrified, sitting straight up. “You didn’t!”


	32. Chapter 32

“I did,” he said regretfully. “You were falling apart and I didn’t know how to fix you. You had already lost so much. Your parents, Jenna, Ric, so many others. Jeremy was all you had left. I couldn’t even be with you because of the sire bond. I didn’t know what else to do. I told myself that I could keep an eye on you. Keep you under control. Use the bond if I had to. I didn’t realize that the bond stemmed from your feelings for me, and when those feelings were turned off the bond was too.” 

“So if you turn me again, we’ll have a sire bond again because of my feelings for you?” she asked. 

“Probably, but that’s not gonna happen, so there’s no point in worrying about it.” He got back to the story. “Needless to say, I had no control over you whatsoever and you hated me for trying to control you. You didn’t go as far as most emotionless vampires do and only killed a handful of people, but they still haunted you after that. I tried everything to get you back. To get your humanity back, before I tried a last ditch effort. I gave someone you cared about the resurrection ring, not that you knew that part at the time of course, and threatened to kill them if you didn’t turn it back on. You refused and kept refusing so I snapped their neck and that’s when you broke. As soon as you were back, I pointed out the ring and told you they would be back, but you were still a mess. All that guilt and grief crashing back down at once. It was a day or two before you could even function again.”

“I can’t even imagine,” Elena sighed, laying back down with him. 

“But the important thing was that when the emotions came back, the sire bond didn’t come back with it. We’d just had an argument, it’s not important about what. I was being a stubborn idiot. But then you marched in and told me in your own adorably stubborn way that you were in love with me and the hell if you were going to apologize for it,” he said with a wistful smirk. 

“And then we lived happily ever after? Please?” Elena asked. 

Damon frowned and looked at her. “We can continue this another time if you need a break,” he offered. 

“No,” she shook her head. “I need to know it all.”

“Okay. So then we did get our happily ever after for a little while. We had an amazing summer together before you went off to college. We were even functioning with the long distance relationship. Jeremy had come back to life so he was staying with me and we kept in touch and visited often and everything.”

“Wait. How did Jeremy come back? I mean, if he had the ring then I wouldn’t have been so messed up about it.”

“Bonnie did a spell to bring him back. For you. She traded her life for his,” Damon told her. “We didn’t find that out for a long time though. Jeremy could see her ghost so she told him to lie to us all. He told us that she was out seeing the world with her long lost mother. She dictated responses to him for emails and so on.”

“She shouldn’t have done that,” Elena said sadly. “Traded her life or lied to us for so long.” 

“I know. I completely agree with you, but we’re getting off track. Things started to fall apart for us when I was captured again by the Augustines. You learned things about my past that you didn’t like. I’ll explain those things another time, but it’s not relevant to this story. You still kept defending me though, no matter how hard it was. That was when I, rather than doing the smart thing and deciding to be better, decided that I was a bad influence on you and walked away. I regretted it immediately after and the next day I went to find you to fix things, but by the time I did, your body had been taken over by someone else and I didn’t notice. I should have noticed. But everything you were saying was everything I thought I already knew. I gave this whole speech about how I was so stupid and that I wussed out and thinking that I could ruin the good in you wasn’t giving you enough credit and so on. Then ‘you’ told me everything that I feared. That I was a monster. That I was bad for you. That you couldn’t live your life afraid of who I would hurt every time we got in a fight, and I fell for it. I let you walk away.” 

Elena sighed sadly and hugged him tightly. “I get that, Damon. I mean, I can see why you wouldn’t realize it wasn’t me. Someone validating all your fears like that…”

“I still should have seen it. Especially when she tried to force Stefan to kill me. That should have been the biggest red flag of all. No matter how pissed you’d ever been at me. No matter how badly I screwed up. No matter who I hurt. You /never/ wanted me dead. Not for a second. Even when I killed Jeremy right in front of you. You hated me, but you never wanted me dead. I was just so messed up by then that I just saw it as a sign that I’d finally gone too far. The last straw as it were. I was stupid. In my little spiral off the rails though, I did cross the line. I killed one of your friends. Actual dead this time. For no good reason. Just because I wanted to prove you right. Once we got you back and you learned that, we had the rest of the fight we started when you started trying to defend me. You had the power over me to turn me into a psycho and I had the power over you to make you stay and keep defending me and we couldn’t go on that way. We really did break up that time.”

“I hate the idea of being without you, but it sounds like we both needed some time. I hope that wasn’t the end though.” 

“No. That was just the kick in the pants I needed to get my shit together,” Damon told her. “I managed to hold it together without you. Even when you lied to me and hid things from me and covered up for Stefan killing one of my oldest friends…I still managed to hold it together because I knew that was the only way I would ever be able to deserve you. But just as I managed that and we found our way back to each other, I died. Not for good, but you didn’t know that. You were…so wrecked. Worse even than when Jeremy died. You started abusing this hallucinogenic herb that allowed you to see me, but it also drove your hunger and bloodlust through the roof and you were hurting people. And yourself. You just couldn’t let go, no matter how hard you tried. I was fighting to find a way back to you, but you couldn’t even function anymore, so you found someone to compel away your memories of me.”

“Oh god,” she gasped. “I didn’t.”

“You did,” Damon said sadly. “Not all the memories mind you. Just the good ones. You still had the memory of me killing people. Hurting people. That was all you had. You truly did think I was a monster. When I got back and learned that, I wasn’t happy about it. I told you that I would never have done that in your place. That no matter how much grief or pain I was feeling I would still cherish every moment we had too much to ever give it up. I forgave you though. How could I not? You’d forgiven so much worse from me so many times. I knew how you felt about compulsion. I knew that you would never have gone that far if you had seen any way out of it. That made it easier.”

“But I got the memories back though right? I mean un-compelling is possible isn’t it?” 

“It is, but the thing is, as a vampire there was only one being strong enough to compel or un-compel you. And he was gone by the time you realized you wanted them back. But you know what,” he said with a smile, tilting her head up to look at him. “Even with all that, we still found our way back to each other. And that’s when I knew that no matter what happened. No matter how bad things got or where we ended up, we would always find our way back. You only remembered the monster, but you still fell in love with me all over again.” 

Elena smiled brightly and kissed him deeply. “I still wish I had gotten the memories back though,” she admitted when it was over, also wishing that she could have those memories now. 

“The story isn’t quite finished yet, my love,” Damon told her with a smile. “Then…we finally got the cure back and you took it and all those memories came rushing back to you. It broke the compulsion and you had it all back.”

“Why would I take the cure though? I could have had forever with you, but as a human you would have to live forever without me once I died.”


	33. Chapter 33

“I was going to take it with you,” Damon told her. “I was just about to do it when we were attacked. By the time we handled that, you had decided that you didn’t want me to do it just for you. I had to want it for me too. You made me think it over and even sent Stefan to beat it into me just what I would be giving up. He took me to this little house in suburbia, made me eat a tv dinner, since neither of us cooked, threw stacks of paperwork at me like taxes and mortgage stuff and documentation and I don’t even know what else. Called it my own personal hell…”

“That’s why you learned to cook. For me. For our human life together,” she said in awe, looking up at him lovingly. 

“Yes,” Damon told her. “That’s exactly why. I surprised Stefan though by proving how much I’d thought it out. I showed him the deed for the business I’d bought with the attached loft right next to a medical school for you. That’s when you apparently told him to push me harder, so he got in my head. Showed me visions of my possible future. Us drifting apart, fighting, resentment…I regretted everything…you died and I was left alone. Every possible horrible outcome played in my mind.”

“So you decided not to take it,” she guessed understandingly. 

“I decided to take it. For us. Because even if it all went to hell and I ended up alone and miserable the smallest chance of the perfect life with you was infinitely better than an immortal one without you. I wanted to be your husband, the father of your kids. I wanted it all, and I was willing to give up everything to get it.”

Elena blinked the tears from her eyes as she asked, “Then what happened?” 

“We were at a wedding when we had that conversation. When I made the decision. But the wedding was attacked by a powerful witch, and he put a curse on you. He called it the Sleeping Beauty curse except instead of being woken by true love’s kiss, you would only wake up when Bonnie died. Then he delivered her to me on the brink of death and I had to make a choice. Save her life and live without you or let her die and get you back.”

“You saved her,” Elena said knowingly as the tears leaked from her eyes again. 

“I did. And worked my butt off to keep her alive. She was my best friend as much as she was yours and I couldn’t let her die. Not for such selfish reasons. Even if it meant living the next sixty or seventy years without you.”

“If you had taken the cure already would you have made the same choice?” she asked curiously. 

“I don’t know,” Damon admitted. “I wish I did, but I don’t. As it was, I could still have you back. I could take the cure when you woke up, no matter how long it was and then we could have our perfect life and pick up where we left off. I missed you so much though I thought I would die.”

“How long was it after that before you came back?” she asked curiously. 

“Six years. Six long and lonely years. I almost starved myself you know? Because desiccation makes the time go faster. Bonnie wouldn’t let me though. She forced me to keep living. No matter how hard it was. The night you went into the magical coma, I went into your head to say goodbye. We were in the street where we met that night. We talked a bit and then she asked for one last dance.” 

“The song from the ball,” Elena guessed. 

Damon nodded. “We danced under the stars and then we said goodbye,” he said sadly as the tears streamed down his face too. 

Elena propped herself up on her elbow and reached up with her other hand to wipe his tears away as she looked into his deep blue eyes. “We’ll do better this time,” she promised. “I won’t leave you again. Live or die. Human or vampire. We do it together. Okay?” 

“Oh, Elena,” he said reaching up to brush a hand over her cheek. “You have no idea how badly I want that, but I can’t. You didn’t want to be a vampire. You wanted children, a career, a normal life. I can’t take that away from you.” 

“What I want, Damon, is you,” she told him. “Children can be adopted. Being a vampire won’t stop me from having a career. I can have a hundred careers. A new one every few decades. Normal is overrated. If, someday, we manage to find a cure that doesn’t involve unleashing evil on the world, we can consider taking it together then and having that perfect human life, but until then, my place is and will always be by your side.”

“You can’t make this choice just for me,” Damon told her. 

“I can,” she said with a smile. “I can make it for us. Because even if it all goes to hell and I end up alone and miserable, the smallest chance of a perfect life with you is infinitely better than losing you. I want it all Damon.”

Damon felt his breath being stolen from his body as she turned his own words against him. He pulled her down into a desperate kiss, and she returned it with equal fervor, letting her weight lay half on top of him. He rolled to his side, pulling her flush with his body, and he couldn’t help but let out a moan when her leg draped over his hip and he forced himself to pull away. “Don’t stop, Damon. I want you. Please.” 

“Are you sure, Elena?” he asked seriously. “I don’t want you to feel like you have to or you’re supposed to. Just because we’re soulmates. Just because we were together in the future. None of that matters here and now. Not with this.” 

“I’m sure, Damon,” she said sincerely. It wasn’t like she was a virgin. She and Matt had been together for years. The only reason to wait was wanting to make sure that it would last, and now she was. There wasn’t a doubt in her mind that this was forever and she needed this. Needed him. And she knew that he needed her just as badly. 

Damon searched her eyes for any sign of hesitation before he dove in and started kissing her again even as he slid them off the hood of the car and picked her up, laying her gently on the picnic blanket he had set up. An hour later, he rolled next to her as they both panted for breath. Once he caught his breath, Damon rolled to his side and propped up on his elbow, running his hand gently over her body. “No regrets?” he asked hopefully. 

“None,” she assured him, reaching a hand up to caress his face. “I love you, Damon Salvatore.”

“I love you, too,” he whispered, leaning down for a soft slow kiss. “I didn’t think I could ever be this happy again.” 

“Me either,” Elena said with a smile. “But we’re gonna do this right this time, Damon. You know all the mistakes we made and can help us avoid them.” 

“And make all new mistakes,” he said wryly. 

“Maybe. But we all want adventure, and even a little danger remember? I think we have the love and passion part down already.” 

Damon laughed and kissed her again. “You’re not wrong about that.” 

“So when are we going to turn me?” she asked. 

“We’re not. Not right now,” he told her. When she opened her mouth to protest, he put a finger over her lips. “If you still want that in a year and still have no doubts at all, then I’ll get Stefan to turn you.” 

“I’ll accept that on one condition,” she told him. 

“What’s that,” he asked amusedly. 

“I want to drink some vampire blood every day between now and then. That way if something happens, I’m covered,” Elena said firmly, not willing to take no for an answer. 

Damon considered that for a moment before adding a caveat. “But you don’t get to kill yourself or even start taking reckless chances with your life because of it. Especially since it will be my blood you’re drinking and we don’t want to have to deal with the sire bond situation.” 

“Deal,” Elena said. “And if the worst does happen, at least we know how to break the bond now.” 

“Yeah, by you turning your humanity off,” he said incredulously. “Not gonna happen.”

“Just hear me out for a minute, Damon,” she told him. “If I’m not turning it off because of pain, then I won’t have any problem turning it right back on again. I won’t have anything to be afraid of. Lock me up anyway first though. Just in case, and don’t let me out until it’s back. I mean, hopefully it won’t be necessary, but it doesn’t have to be the end of the world.” 

“You make a valid point,” Damon admitted. “If it comes to it…but we’re going to do everything possible to make sure that it doesn’t.” 

“Of course,” she agreed. 

“Now. I think we should get around to eating something finally. We already missed lunch and it’s almost dinnertime,” he said amusedly. 

“I think that’s a great idea,” Elena chuckled. “But first, drink.” Damon rolled his eyes and bit his wrist, pressing it to her lips and she took a long drink before sitting up and grabbing for her clothes.


	34. Chapter 34

As they were eating, Elena asked Damon. “You never did mention the significance of this place. Unless I missed it.”

“Right. Yeah. That kinda got skipped over,” Damon said with a smile. “This was the scene of one of my happiest memories. One I’ve relived in my mind a thousand times when I was missing you. During the summer of our lives, right before you went off to college. You wanted to show me this meteor shower, so we drove out to this field to see it. The moment those shooting stars started to fall…rain. Lots and lots of rain. You were so sure it would clear, it was just easier to believe you,” he explained with a wistful smile. 

“Hang on. You mentioned something before about being able to get in people’s heads and show them visions…maybe you could show me the memory?” Elena suggested hopefully. 

Damon considered that for a moment. “I don’t know. It would mean you taking your locket off. The one that keeps anyone from realizing that you’re a doppelganger…”

“How dangerous would that be?” Elena asked. “I mean, right now. In this field in the middle of nowhere, if I take it off for just a little while…”

Damon thought for a minute before shrugging. “Okay. But just this once. I don’t want to get in the habit of this.” 

“Fair enough. As long as you show me a few other memories too. I know you can’t show me everything of course, but some,” Elena told him. 

When Damon nodded, Elena took the locket off, and Damon put a hand to either side of her head and entered her mind, showing her the meteor shower. Elena watched as the rain started to fall and smiled as she saw them both get soaked to the bone. Damon wanted to leave, but she didn’t. And then they were kissing and he danced with her. In the rain under the meteor shower to no music and it was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen. The love they had for each other was palpable in the air and then he laid her down, in the same spot they were sitting now. He pulled out of the memory when the clothes started coming off, and she smiled brightly at him. “That was…amazing. I can see why it’s your favorite.”

Damon nodded wistfully. “Do you have any other requests?” 

“Will you show me our first kiss?” she asked. 

“Which one?” Damon chuckled. “The one where I was being an ass, the one where I was dying, or the first real one?” 

“All three?” she asked hopefully. Even if the first one was bad, she still wanted to see it. “I want to see the good and bad.”

Damon sighed and nodded. “The first one has a little leadup to it though,” he told her as he pulled them into a memory of her front porch. This one he narrated as they watched it. “That’s not you. That’s Katherine pretending to be you. I just didn’t realize it at the time.” He showed her the conversation and the sweet kiss before jumping ahead to the scene at the Lockwoods where Elena hurt him by being surprised that he thought she would kiss him back, and then they were in Elena’s room as she walked in. She was visibly nervous as she pointed out how bad it was for him to be drunk and upset. The present Elena smiled when he told her off about lying to them all, including herself, and she couldn’t disagree with him. She did have to agree that he was being kind of an ass when he kissed her, but she also knew that he was strong enough to do whatever he wanted regardless of her protests and still let her push him away. Then Jeremy interrupted them and she could see the switch flip in Damon’s eyes as he pinned Jeremy to the wall, and that’s when he pulled out of the memory. 

“That’s when you killed Jeremy wasn’t it?” she guessed. She’d never been afraid of him before, but seeing that memory, she could see how she would be. 

“Yes,” Damon admitted. “I didn’t want you to see that part though. Hearing about it is bad enough.”

“I get it,” she told him. “I’m okay with that.”

Damon sighed happily, seeing that she wasn’t pushing him away after that and moved on to the next one. Him laying in bed dying. Present day Elena was heartbroken and crying even more than her memory self at the sight of him, but she couldn’t help a sad smile when she saw herself kiss him. She could see how much that meant to him. For that to be his last memory. When he pulled away from the memory, she threw herself in his arms, hugging him tightly. Seeing him like that was heartbreaking. He held her tightly, rubbing her back as she got herself under control. “Are you sure you want to do this?” 

“I’m sure,” she said. “I’m okay.” 

“Okay,” Damon sighed, glad that the next one was relatively happy. He placed his hands back on her head and took them to the memory of their real first kiss. When he decided that if he was going to be guilty that he would be guilty for something he’d actually done. 

When the memory ended, Elena kissed him again in the present. “Now that was a good first kiss. No matter how complicated the situation was,” she smiled. “Show me when I told you that I loved you after the bond was broken? When I refused to apologize for it?” 

Damon chuckled. He loved that memory. He put his hands back to her head and took them into it, wincing as he remembered his own stubbornness and what he said about never wanting to be human. He made a mental note to himself to show her the conversation when he decided to take the cure too. Just so she would know that he’d changed his mind. When he pulled out of the memory, Elena laughed. “That is so me,” she said amusedly. “You were so against the idea of being human though,” she pointed out.” 

“I know,” he told her. “Part of it was because you would still be a vampire, but that was also before I really knew what I wanted. Here let me show you something else,” he said pulling her into the memory of him telling her he was going to take the cure. 

Elena watched his speech and could see how much he meant every word and tears sprung to her eyes as he pulled away at the end. She kissed him just as lovingly as they had in the memory before she pulled back and looked into his eyes and told him, “I will love you until I take my last breath on this earth.” 

He smiled brightly and brushed his hand down her cheek. “Right back atcha.” They enjoyed the moment for a bit before he asked, “Anything else you want to see?” 

“The goodbye dance,” she told him. Damon’s lips twitched like he wasn’t sure whether to smile or cry, but he nodded and gave her a vision of that memory and the conversation that went with it. When it was over, she was smiling sadly. “That was the perfect goodbye,” she said softly. 

“It was. But I would have rather had no goodbye.”

“I agree. We’ll just have to make sure that one isn’t necessary this time,” she told him. 

“We can only hope,” he said with a smile. 

“I wish I could see my goodbye when I thought you died,” she said sadly. 

“I do have that memory. I was there in spirit. It’s not a very happy one though,” Damon told her. 

“Please show me?” 

“Okay, but a little background first. We had both died, along with a lot of other people, but we had a way back. We had a witch doing a spell to keep a doorway open. It was a one shot spell. You made it through, but then the spell ended just as I was trying to come through,” he explained, waiting for her nod before he pulled her into the memory of the moment he arrived in that crypt. 

Elena felt her heart tighten at the broken look on her own face and the sad one on his. It took a minute for her to realize that she couldn’t see him, but that just made it even more heartbreaking. At least this time she got to hear his words. Hear him tell her that she was the best thing that ever happened to him and how glad he was that he got to die knowing that he was loved by her. She saw him tell her that it was never going to get any better than that and when he finally pulled out of the memory, she couldn’t help but smack him. “There is so much better than that,” she said with tears in her eyes. “We could have had an entire life together. You didn’t ‘peak’.”

“I know,” he admitted, pulling her close. “But that was the only way I could deal with leaving you like that. I /had/ to make myself believe that.” She held him tightly and nodded against his chest. She could see that. When she pulled away, she picked up her locket again and handed it to him for him to put it on her, which he did as he kissed her neck. “I love you, Elena.”

“I love you too,” she whispered back, leaning back into his arms as they wrapped around her. 

He glanced down at his watch and winced. “Damnit. We gotta go. Come on,” he said, jumping to his feet and pulling her with him. He got the car loaded up with vamp speed and she rushed over and got in. 

“Why? What’s wrong?” she asked worriedly. 

“I’m gonna have to drive really fast, but don’t worry. We’re perfectly safe,” he told her as he peeled out before answering her question. “I have to have the talisman back to Sheila no later than ten.” 

“What happens if you don’t?” she asked worriedly. 

“Then I’ve pissed off a very powerful witch,” Damon said wryly. “And proven myself to be untrustworthy, which is almost as bad.”

Elena chuckled but nodded. She didn’t think that it would be as bad as he seemed to, but then again, for all she knew witches and vampires were usually mortal enemies so you could never be too careful. She planned to ask more about that later, but she had more than enough rolling around in her head right now without getting into potential ancient feuds. 

They ended up making the almost hour drive in just over thirty minutes and they pulled into the driveway at nine fifty eight and Damon vamp speeded to the door before knocking. “Cutting it close are we?” Sheila asked as she opened the door and took the talisman. 

“Yeah. Sorry. We lost track of time,” Damon said sheepishly. “I did break every traffic law in existence to get here on time though,” he added, wanting her to know that he took it seriously.

She looked at him like he was an idiot. “You realize that you could have just called, right? As long as you let me know you would be a little late, I probably would have allowed it.”

“I would rather keep my promises in the first place,” Damon told her and she gave him a nod of respect before bidding him goodnight.


	35. Chapter 35

Once they were back on the road, heading for Elena’s house, Damon told her, “There’s still more information you need to know. Things that we need to discuss. But nothing crucial right now, so just let me know when you’ve processed and are ready for more, okay?” 

“Yeah, okay,” Elena said relieved that he wasn’t throwing any more at her today. As long as she didn’t need to know right now, she could wait. 

“Also, Ric knows about the whole time travel and us being soulmates thing, so you’re welcome to talk to him about it if you need to. Stefan knows too so if you need support or anything while you’re at school and can’t get to Ric, find him,” Damon told her. 

Elena smiled and reached out for his hand. “Thank you, Damon. But I’m okay. I’m not gonna break.” It was nice knowing who she could talk to about it, but she wouldn’t need ‘support’ because of it. “They knew before me?” she couldn’t help but ask, a little hurt. 

“I didn’t want to tell you until you loved me. I didn’t want to risk you have any doubts over whether you loved me because you were supposed to or not,” Damon explained. 

“I guess that makes sense,” Elena told him. “But we’re soulmates, Damon. Real confirmed soulmates. I couldn’t not love you, no matter when I found out.” 

“I know,” he said as he squeezed her hand. “But you still had more than enough to deal with before then anyway.”

“That I can agree with,” she said as they pulled up to her house. “Are you coming inside? It’s still almost two hours to my curfew.” 

“I would love to,” he said with a smile, following her in. 

As they headed up the stairs, Jenna called after them, “Door open!” 

Elena rolled her eyes as Damon chuckled. “We will,” he called back. He intentionally left the door wide open as he sat down on her bed, leaning against the headboard. She climbed up with him, sitting in front of him between his legs and leaning back against his chest, and they spent the next while cuddling and talking with more than a few kisses exchanged. 

Just after midnight, Jenna came up and looked into the room, smiling at how cute they looked together. “It’s time to go, Damon,” she said gently. 

Damon nodded, and got up as Elena moved away from him. “Goodnight, Elena,” he said with a smile as he kissed her softly. 

“Goodnight Damon. I love you.”

“I love you, too,” he said, brushing a hand down her cheek before he walked out. “Goodnight Jenna.” 

She smiled at him and gave his arm a squeeze as he walked by. “Night Damon.” Once he was gone, she went over and sat next to Elena on the bed. “Things are going well there I take it? The L word being exchanged and all?” 

“They’re perfect,” she said with a smile. 

“You look like you’ve been crying,” Jenna pointed out worriedly. 

“I was for a while. He was telling me some more difficult stories about his past,” she told her, not wanting her to think that Damon had done anything wrong. 

Jenna nodded. That made sense. Even she could tell that he’d been through some things in his life. She was glad that he was opening up to Elena. “Anything you want to or can talk about?” she asked curiously. 

Elena shook her head. There was no way to get into most of it without the whole time travel soulmates information. “No, I’m okay now,” she assured her. “Thank you though.” 

“You’re welcome,” Jenna said with a smile. “You know you can always tell me anything, right? I can keep a secret.”

“I know,” Elena smiled tightly as she lied. There were some things that she couldn’t tell her. 

“Okay then,” Jenna said leaning over to kiss her forehead. “Why don’t you start getting ready for bed,” she suggested and Elena nodded. 

An hour later, she was laying in bed, almost asleep, when she felt something brush her face. Her eyes snapped open to see Damon and she grinned at his sheepish smile. She grabbed his arm and pulled, so he climbed into bed with her and held her close when she curled up to his side. She got to sleep soon after and he stayed there and held her for a few hours before he found himself starting to doze off. He knew that if he fell asleep he would risk being found here in the morning, so he just pressed a kiss to her forehead before getting up, jumping out the window, and heading home. 

After that, he usually joined her the same way at least a few times a week. It was only a week later though that she told him she was ready for more, so they had another Saturday picnic, this time at Steven’s Quarry where the ritual had taken place that killed Jenna and had John sacrifice his life to save Elena. “This is going to be the most difficult part, Elena. Are you sure you’re ready for this?” Damon asked worriedly. 

“I am,” she told him, refusing to back down. If she went through it last time then she could surely handle it this time. 

“Okay. The first thing you need to know, is that you’re adopted,” he told her, getting a shocked gasp from her. “That doesn’t mean that Miranda and Grayson loved you any less. They are still your parents either way. Apparently they planned to tell you when you turned eighteen, but never got the chance.”

“Who are my real parents? Do you know?” 

“I do,” he told her. “Isobel Flemming got pregnant at fifteen by her boyfriend John Gilbert.” She gasped again. “When the time came for the baby to be born, he sent her to his brother’s clinic to give birth and let him and his wife raise you. Everything was hushed up and there wasn’t a technical adoption. Grayson forged the records and made it look like you were biologically theirs to protect his brother.” 

“Uncle John is my biological father?” she asked distastefully. She’d never liked him. 

“Yes. And while he and I definitely had our differences, he did at least make some effort to do right by you, and even sacrificed his life so that you could live.” 

“Is this where he died?” she asked, looking around, not sure how she felt right now. 

“No. This is where you died. Before he switched places with you. This is also where…where your aunt Jenna died that same night,” he explained. 

“Jenna? No. How?” she asked, heartbroken. 

“When it was learned that you were the doppelganger, it brought the attention of the wolf/vampire hybrid I told you about. He needed your blood in a ritual to remove a curse that was placed on him more than a thousand years ago. He needed it to release his werewolf side. Jenna was dragged into it and he turned her into a vampire for the ritual. He had to sacrifice one vampire, one werewolf, and the doppelganger. He used her just to hurt you. She used her last breath to stop the ritual and save your life.” 

Elena wrapped her arms around her knees as she cried, and Damon wrapped his arms around her comfortingly. “Why did everyone have to die for me? Jenna, John, Bonnie, even you. You all just sacrificed everything and for what…”

“Because we all love you, Elena. We would all do anything for you. In Jenna’s case, she was already dead. The ritual was already killing her. She wouldn’t have survived even if she’d succeeded in stopping it. But this is why the first thing I did when I got back was to get you that locket. If no one knows you’re a doppelganger then so much of the pain and loss can be avoided. Including that.” 

It took a few more minutes before Elena managed to get control of herself, and she wiped her eyes and nodded. “What about my biological mother? Do you know anything about her?”

Damon winced. “I do. She was married to Ric and researched vampires for a living. She was obsessed with them. So much so that she managed to get John to get her an introduction to me. I…I turned her. At her request.” 

“My mother is a vampire?” Elena asked, not sure how she felt about that part either. 

“She is,” Damon told her. “I didn’t know that she even had a daughter, of course. I did know that she didn’t have any children with her husband. But Elena…she’s not one of the good vampires. She turned her humanity off from the start. She’s working with Katherine to manipulate and hurt us. Including you. You once said in the future that you were glad that she was such a disappointment because it kept the memory of your real mother intact, but I know that’s not much comfort.” 

Elena took a few deep breaths, trying not to cry again as she thought it all over. “So…Ric is kinda like my stepdad then?” she decided to focus on the positive. “Does he know?” 

Damon nodded. “When I told him this whole story, the first thing he wanted was to meet you. That’s why he came back with me to Mystic Falls. And to meet Jenna who he’d been dating and living with when she died. After her death, Ric became yours and Jeremy’s guardian and took care of you until he died almost a year later.”

“Oh my god. I really did lose everyone I ever cared about didn’t I?” Elena said as she couldn’t hold back the tears anymore. 

“Ric came back. He was one of the ones that made it through when we did the spell to bring everyone back that I didn’t make it in time for. And we’re not gonna let him die at all this time. Him or Jenna or anyone else,” Damon assured her.


	36. Chapter 36

“I want to help. I want you and Ric to teach me how to fight,” Elena said firmly. 

Damon chuckled. “And history repeats itself,” he joked. 

“I did that last time too?” she asked with a smile.

“After Jenna died and we lost Stefan, you had Ric and I train you so you could defend yourself,” Damon told her. 

“Good. Then you already know I can do this.” 

Damon resisted the urge to chuckle. She’d never been very good, but then she’d been turned only a few months later, so maybe she would be better this time. “I’ll get with Ric and we’ll work it out,” Damon promised. “But I think we need to let Jenna and Jeremy in on the secret.”

“What? No. They’re safer if they stay as far away from all this as possible,” Elena told him. 

“I know you think that, and I even agreed with you last time, but you’re wrong. They’re in this just because they’re in this town. Because they’re part of a founding family, and yes. Because they’re related to you. Last time there were so many close calls that could have been avoided if they’d had more information.”

“What do the founding families have to do with it?” Elena asked curiously. 

“Because the founding families were the ones that carried out the massacre that supposedly killed twenty seven vampires and would have if Emily Bennett hadn’t saved them in that tomb. There are a lot of grudges. In fact, Anna, the head of the group we just killed, last time around kidnapped Jeremy because she thought it would be fitting to use Gilbert blood to revive her mother since it was John Gilbert that captured her.”

“Why not use me?” Elena asked. 

“Because she couldn’t get to you. You were too close to Stefan and I. We didn’t know she was after Gilbert blood until it already happened or we would have been protecting him too. At least Stefan would have. I was a little obsessed with other things at the time.”

“So vampires hate the founding families for what their ancestors did?” Elena asked disapprovingly. 

“Yes, and because they would do the same again in a heartbeat. Believe me, the hatred is entirely mutual. Remember the founder’s council. You and/or Jeremy would probably have been approached after college to join. For a while before his first death, Ric actually took over the Gilbert spot as your guardian.”

“You really think it would be best for Jenna and Jeremy to know?” she asked worriedly. 

“I do. I’ll back whatever decision you make, Elena. Always. But my opinion is that they should know,” Damon told her. “Besides, Jenna is dating a vampire hunter and Jeremy is dating a witch. It’s only fair that they know that.”

“That’s not fair, using my own arguments against me,” Elena pouted, remembering the conversation about Stefan and Caroline. 

“Who ever said I play fair,” Damon teased. 

“Okay. We’ll tell them. Tomorrow,” she said. “Ric and Bonnie should be in on this conversation though.” 

“I agree. Why don’t you go ahead and text Bonnie and see if she can come by for lunch tomorrow,” Damon suggested.

Elena nodded and sent the text, including the fact that they needed to let Jenna and Jeremy in on the supernatural secrets so she would know why and could weigh in on the subject. While she waited for a reply she asked Damon. “Are we going to tell them about the time travel part too?” 

“Yes. Unless you have a good reason not to. I don’t see a reason to keep it a secret.”

“Neither do I,” Elena said thoughtfully. If anything it would make things easier for them with Jenna at least knowing the whole confirmed soulmate thing. “Anything else I should know?”

“Jeremy is a potential hunter,” Damon told her. 

“Like Ric?” she asked curiously, wondering why that was a big thing. What he decided to do with his life wasn’t really that major on the scale of what they’d been discussing. 

“No,” Damon shook his head. “See there was this order created a long time ago to kill vampires. They had a spell cast on them by a group of witches that gave them supernatural strength, speed, and agility. It gave them this special tattoo that would appear on their bodies the first time they killed a vampire and would grow with each kill. Once that tattoo was completed it would reveal a map to the vampire cure and the ancient evil I mentioned named Silas. They were to force the cure down his throat and kill him.” 

“And Jeremy is one of them? How?” Elena asked. 

“Currently he’s a potential. We never learned how it was passed down, but there are never more than five in the world. They’re called the ‘order of the five’. That’s why he was the key to getting the cure and why I trained him. He had to kill enough vampires to reveal the mark. Unfortunately, as soon as he was ‘activated’ so to speak, it also created a mental block in his mind that all vampires needed to die, no matter who they were. He even tried to kill you.”

“Oh my god,” Elena gasped with wide eyes. 

“Thankfully, we managed to get that part under control soon enough or I wouldn’t have even been able to train him, but I suggest we try to keep him from killing any vampires and activating that mark. The only person I know of who knows how to turn off that instinct in him is an evil bastard who will just want to use him to get to Silas. He’s kind of a Silas groupie.”

“Right, so yeah. They definitely need to know if we’re going to keep him from killing any vampires in a town where they’re apparently going to be after him,” Elena realized just as her phone went off with a reply from Bonnie. She took a few minutes to send a long text back before telling Damon, “she’s not so sure about telling them, but I told her that they need information to keep themselves safe with all of us in their lives.” 

Damon nodded. “If you need to call her and talk instead of text, feel free. And I can talk to her too if needed.” 

“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea,” Elena said and called Bonnie. She gave her the outlines of what they’d discussed already and she ended up asking to talk to Damon. 

“Heya Bon-bon. I hear you’re not on board with the whole Gilbert reveal idea,” Damon said as he took the phone. 

“No. Not really. How can you be so much sure they’ll be safer that way?” Bonnie asked worriedly. 

“I’m not a hundred percent sure, to be honest. But it can’t really get much worse. I mean, last time around Jeremy died five times that I know of. Might have been more even. You yourself died to bring him back to life. I can’t even count the number of times he almost died from all this. Jenna almost died a few times too before she actually did when she got turned into a vampire and sacrificed as part of a ritual. Knowing the dangers has to be better than that,” Damon pointed out. 

Bonnie sighed. “Okay then. I see your point. Are you sure they can handle it though?” 

“Jeremy, absolutely. He was a part of so much of it in the future. Jenna I can’t be positive, but she did okay for the little bit of time that she knew,” Damon told her. Besides, neither of them are on vervain so if they do have a complete freakout then I can just compel them to forget.” 

“I’ll see you guys tomorrow then,” Bonnie told him, still with doubts, but willing to follow Damon’s advice. 

“So what else do I need to know?” Elena asked. 

“Your friend Tyler Lockwood is a potential werewolf,” Damon told her. 

“Potential?” 

“He hasn’t activated the curse yet, but it could happen any time. All he has to do is kill someone. Even by accident,” Damon explained. 

“And he did last time?” she asked. 

“Accidentally, yes. Katherine needed a werewolf for one of her plans so she compelled people to attack him until it happened. A girl stabbed him with a letter opener and he pushed her away causing her to hit her head on the corner of a table and she died,” Damon told her. “He doesn’t know though and doesn’t need that burden. Imagine living your whole life knowing that something as simple as bumping into someone could activate a painful curse that you can never escape from.” 

“But if Katherine is going to come after him again…”

“She needed a werewolf for the ritual that included the doppelganger. If she doesn’t know about you then there’s a good chance she won’t worry about him. Plus she already has a werewolf right now that I’m going to try not to have to kill this time around, so she won’t need him. If I do end up having to kill Mason we can talk about telling him then. Deal?”

“Okay. That’s fair,” Elena agreed. “Was he the werewolf that bit you and almost killed you?” 

“Tyler was, yes,” Damon told her. “It wasn’t his fault though. It was the full moon and I was the one who stepped between him and Caroline and Matt. He had no control over his actions.” 

“You sure do forgive potential death easily,” she joked. 

Damon chuckled. “Danger is a constant part of this life Elena. That’s something you need to know before you make a decision to join it. Sure we’re essentially immortal and normal human things can’t kill us, but the things that can will always be after us to some degree. There will always be another grudge to settle or another werewolf running around or another witch or vampire hunter or whatever else.”

“If you’re trying to scare me off, it’s not going to work,” Elena said, not wanting to betray how nervous she suddenly was. 

“Not scare you off,” Damon told her. “Just making sure you truly understand what you would be getting into. When dealing with immortal beings grudges don’t die easily. There are a lot of people I’ve wronged in the past that could come back and come after me and you’ll have to deal with the same.”

“I get it, and I’ll make sure to take that into consideration,” Elena promised.


	37. Chapter 37

When Damon took Elena home that evening, Damon was the one to propose a family and significant other lunch the following day and he even offered to cook. Jenna was glad to turn over the kitchen and thought it was a great idea, so Damon invited Ric to come by his place for some drinks for the rest of the night. He wanted him to have a heads up before tomorrow so a guy’s night was in order. Ric was much like Bonnie. Not entirely sure about this, but willing to follow Damon, which was why they all showed up for lunch the next day. 

Conversation was kept light during lunch and then they all gathered in the living room. This time Damon was the one to sit on the floor though at Elena’s feet. He thought it would make him seem less threatening since he was the only real predator here. He wasn’t sure where to start though so he looked at Ric and Bonnie for a little help. “This was your idea, Damon. It’s your show,” Ric told him shaking his head. 

“What’s going on?” Jenna asked confused. 

“Okay,” Damon sighed. “Here goes. There is a whole supernatural world living among you.”

Jenna and Jeremy laughed, but stopped pretty quickly when they realized that they were the only ones. “Come on, Damon. Really?” Jeremy asked skeptically. 

“I am a vampire,” he told them, flashing his other face, fangs and all. “I’m still the same person I was before you knew though. I would never hurt any of you.” 

Jeremy grinned. “That is so cool.”

Jenna’s reactions was very different. She was just frozen in shock. Elena reached over and took her hand. “It’s okay, Aunt Jenna. Really. He’s still Damon. You like him, remember?” 

Jenna took a few deep breaths for calm. “And the rest of you knew this already?” she asked hurt. 

“I’m a vampire hunter. I started hunting them when my wife was taken by a vampire. Damon here, actually,” Ric explained. 

“Gee throw me under the bus why don’t you, Ric,” Damon rolled his eyes before explaining to a worried Jenna. “His wife came to me, begging me to turn her into a vampire. I wasn’t quite as…level-headed back then as I am now, so I agreed far too easily, but it wasn’t like I forced it on her either way.” 

“Would you turn me?” Jeremy asked hopefully, not surprising Damon in the slightest since that was his first reaction last time too. 

“Not now, no. Once you’re grown, and completely understand everything that you would be getting into I would be willing to discuss it. But one non-negotiable point will always be that you allow me to teach you how to feed without hurting people,” Damon told him. “For now, don’t worry about it though.”

Jeremy sighed, but nodded. At least it wasn’t a firm no. “Are you planning to turn Elena?” Jenna asked narrowing her eyes at him. 

“Under the same conditions I just gave Jeremy, yes. If that’s truly what she wants, I won’t take that choice away from her.”

“But you didn’t give those conditions for Ric’s wife?” Jenna guessed, unable to really argue with that. 

“No. To my regret, I didn’t. I just turned her when she asked and set her loose in the world. It’s not a mistake I plan to make again,” he said honestly. 

“And how did you know?” Jeremy jumped in to ask Bonnie. 

“Because I’m a witch. So is my grams, and my mother was one too,” Bonnie told him. “I just found out before the summer.”

“Speaking of your mother, Bon-bon, I have some news for you on that front that I keep forgetting about. Remind me later to tell you about it,” Damon cut in. 

“And you’re just now bringing it up?” Bonnie asked irritated. 

“We’re talking ten years here,” he defended. “Forgive me for not remembering every detail of someone who I barely met.” 

Bonnie sighed but nodded in acceptance of that explanation. “You /will/ tell me everything you know later.”

“Cross my heart,” Damon said making the motion before turning back to Jenna and Jeremy. 

“How old are you really?” Jenna asked curiously. 

“I was twenty-five when I was turned, so I didn’t lie about that,” Damon assured her. “But I was born in eighteen thirty nine. Turned in eighteen sixty four by a cruel sadistic bitch named Katherine,” he told her. 

“And I thought twenty five was too old for her,” Jenna muttered. 

“Well they are soulmates. You can’t really stand in the way of that,” Ric tried to soothe her. 

“Soulmates?” Jenna asked skeptically. 

“Right. I guess we’re on to the next big piece of information,” Damon said with a chuckle. “I’m from about ten years in the future.” 

“Right,” Jenna said skeptically. “Vampires and witches are one thing, but time travel?”

Bonnie pulled something out of her pocket and handed it to Damon. “Grams thought you might need this, but it’s not to leave my sight,” she told him. 

“Thanks, Bon-bon,” he said with a wry smile. 

“She’s still pissed at you, by the way,” Bonnie said amusedly. “Telling your soulmate was one thing, but telling other people not so much. She hates being outed as a witch and told me to order you to take the memories if they end up being a risk.”

“I don’t think we’ll have to go that far,” Damon assured her, not wanting to admit that he planned on it. Not when he was already on thin ice, but he was glad that Bonnie had thrown that warning out there anyway. 

“Taking memories? You can do that?” Jeremy asked in awe. 

“I can, but I try not to with people I care about,” Damon told him. 

“Have you ever taken any memories from any of us?” Jenna asked suspiciously, wondering what the kids could get away with when someone could modify her memories of the situation. 

“I did you, once, with something minor for a good reason,” Damon admitted. “I can give it back now if you want since we’re airing secrets here.” 

“Yes, please,” she told him. 

He looked into her eyes and compelled her, “Remember.”

“And why were the two of you coming home in different clothes than you left in?” she asked suspiciously as the memory returned looking between Ric and Elena. 

Damon was the one to answer though. “Because we were out burning a tomb full of dessicated vampires before they could be revived and attack the town. The smell was more than a little overpowering though so they came by my place to shower and change.” 

“You took my seventeen year old niece after a tomb full of vampires!” 

“She insisted,” Damon defended himself. “And if she wants to be a part of this world she needs to understand things like that. Besides, it was very low risk. We had two of the most powerful witches in the world, a vampire hunter, and me watching her back and all the vampires in the tomb were comatose.” 

“So no one was hurt?” Jenna asked worriedly. 

“Well Ric and I got a little banged up when another group of vampires tried to stop us, but the witches were able to help hold them off long enough for Ric and I to take care of them,” Damon assured her. 

“He seemed fine when he got home,” Jenna looked at Ric suspiciously. 

“Damon healed me,” Ric told her. 

“You can heal people too? That’s awesome,” Jeremy said even more in awe of his ‘brother’ than ever. 

“It’s not that easy, Jer,” Damon told him. “Vampire blood can heal any injury and some illnesses, but there’s a risk. If something had happened and he ended up dying before the blood passed out of his system then he would have turned.” 

“That’s why you called out of work and didn’t leave the house the next day,” Jenna realized. 

“Yeah. I wasn’t gonna take any chances. No offense, Damon, but vampire life isn’t for me,” Ric told him. 

“None taken,” Damon assured him. “It’s not an easy life for anyone. Even with the perks.” 

“Wait…so Bonnie’s grandmother let her face off against vampires?” Jenna asked surprised. 

“Oh Bon-bon can take care of herself,” Damon chuckled. 

“How?” Jenna asked skeptically, eyeing Bonnie, but Damon could see the hope in her eyes too. 

Damon looked at Bonnie. “She needs to feel safe right now, so go ahead and demonstrate on me,” he told her. “Just…not too long please?” 

“Damon, are you sure?” Bonnie asked as her brow furled worriedly. 

Damon nodded as Elena asked, “What are you…” she was cut off by the scream of pain from Damon though as he curled up on the floor and writhed in pain. “Damon!” Elena screamed jumping off the couch to his side. It only lasted a few seconds though before it stopped. 

Jenna and Jeremy both looked at Bonnie in awe, and Damon in concern as she said, “I’m sorry, Damon. Are you okay?” 

“Yep. Peachy. Just gimme a sec,” he groaned as he tried to pick himself up off the floor with Elena’s help. 

“Never do that again,” Elena snapped at them both. 

“But now Jenna knows that you’re all safe,” Damon told her. “It was worth it.” 

“What did you do?” Jenna asked worriedly. 

“Basically, I gave him a series of brain aneurisms, but with his vampiric healing, they kept healing up as soon as they appeared. Generally speaking, it’s a pain spell for vampires. Debilitates them. I can also set them on fire which kills them,” Bonnie explained. 

“She did that once too. In the future I mean,” Damon chuckled. “That’s what I get for pissing off a witch though.” 

“But it didn’t kill you,” Elena guessed. 

“No. You stopped her just in time for me to put myself out,” Damon grinned. 

“You put yourself out? I didn’t help?” Elena asked. 

“You were pissed at me too,” he told her. “At least you saved my life. In all fairness I kinda deserved it. That was back when I was still an ass.”


	38. Chapter 38

“Okay so lets get back to this whole time travel thing,” Jenna said, trying to stave off the shock. They had gotten a bit side-tracked. 

“Right. First, hold this in your hand and try to tell a lie,” Damon said handing it to her. When she couldn’t Damon passed it to Jeremy who also failed. Then he took it back and told them, “This is a Bennett witch heirloom. Anyone holding it can only speak the truth,” he explained. When he saw that dawn on them, he began the story. “I came back from about ten years in the future. When I willingly sacrificed my life to save the world, the powers that be decided to give me another chance and sent me back in time to the moment I first met my soulmate,” he said as he looked at Elena with a smile. 

“And how long have you known about the soulmate thing?” Jenna asked worriedly, not doubting him now, but wanting to make sure that Elena wasn’t pressured into this thing. 

“About a week,” she told her. “He didn’t want to tell me until after I fell in love with him.” 

Jenna gave a sigh of relief. “Okay. Good. So you and Elena were together in the future? She asked Damon. 

“We had a very rocky road,” Damon admitted. “Most of it because I had trouble getting my shit together and then when I finally did it was just one thing after another, but yes. She was and is the love of my life,” he said looking at her with a smile. 

“He was going to take the vampire cure to live and die a human with me,” Elena told her. 

“I was,” Damon said with a wistful smile. “Unfortunately I never got the chance.”

“Why not?” Jeremy asked, unable to believe that he would give up being a vampire just like that. 

“Because before I could, Elena was put into a magical coma with so many conditions it wasn’t likely to break for sixty years. I still planned to take it once she woke up, but we never got that far. It was only six years later when I died and got sent back,” Damon told them. 

“So whenever you got all evasive about your past it was just because you’re a vampire from the future,” Jenna said reveling in the absurdity of that statement. 

“Exactly,” Damon told her. “Like when you asked why I learned to cook. It was because when my brother was trying to talk me out of becoming human, one of his arguments was that neither I nor Elena could cook and he made me eat a tv dinner,” Damon scrunched up his nose. “So I started learning to cook to avoid that fate for both of us.” 

“Even after she went into the coma,” Jenna asked. 

“Especially after the coma,” Damon told her. “I needed something to fill my time to escape the heartbreaking loneliness.” He took a deep breath to shake off the memory of that feeling. “And the song that made me freak at the ball was the song that she and I danced to under the stars when I went into her mind to say goodbye.” Jenna couldn’t help but reach over and hug him at that. 

“But you were still dancing with her, so why did it matter?” Jeremy asked in typical fifteen year old cluelessness. 

Damon chuckled wryly. “Because I was dancing with a version of her that didn’t know me. And it reminded me of all those years alone.”

“So why are you telling us this now?” Jenna asked. 

“Because now that Elena knows everything, so do you. Last time around there was a lot of death. Every person in this room died at least once, including me. You need to know what precautions to take and how to protect yourselves,” Damon said bluntly. 

“Died at least once?” Jenna asked wide-eyed. 

“Yeah, dying and coming back kinda became our thing,” Damon chuckled. “Mostly thanks to our little all powerful witch over here,” Damon grinned at Bonnie. 

“Yeah I don’t think I want to know,” Jenna shook her head before changing the subject. “Wait…you were the one who introduced Ric and I. Were we together in your future?” 

Damon smiled wistfully. “You two had a good run until you died in a way we couldn’t bring you back from,” he said sympathetically. “I figured you should have a chance to do it better too.”

“And me and Bonnie?” Jeremy asked. 

“Same kinda thing. You two were good until she died. It took us too long to bring her back. She was usually the resurrecter of the group,” he joked. 

“Okay, but why us? I mean, we couldn’t have been the only ones that died,” Jenna asked. 

“That should be obvious. You’re all family to me,” Damon told her. “I didn’t get a chance to know you well, but you’re still Elena’s aunt. Ric and Jer were like my brothers. Bonnie, my sister. Facing death together so many times forges a pretty strong bond. I would do anything to protect every one of you.”

“When did I die?” she asked. 

“Less than a year from now,” Damon told her. “But it won’t happen this time. I’ve already taken steps to prevent the previous situation. I won’t give details on that just because it involves a secret that if it gets out, will undo everything I did. Bonnie knows because she did the spell to hide the secret. Elena knows because it’s about her. Stefan knows because I accidentally told him too much when I first got back before I had a plan. But that’s it.”

“Okay,” Jenna said reaching a decision. “So what can we do to protect ourselves.” 

“I’ll be right back,” Damon said, vamp speeding out to the car to get the bag he brought for this purpose. 

“Awesome!” Jeremy said as he got back. 

Damon reached into the bag and pulled out two bracelets and handed one each to Jeremy and Jenna. “Don’t ever take these off. They will keep any vampire from compelling you. Even if Elena asks you to, don’t.” 

“Why would she…” Jenna started confused. 

“Because if she does it won’t be her. She has a lookalike out there who will probably come around and pretend to be her. Last time, she convinced you to take it off and compelled you to spy on Elena and then kill yourself. We barely managed to save you. Even I will only ask you to take it off if you agree that you need me to compel you for some reason. Otherwise, it stays on always.” 

“Why would we agree to be compelled?” Jenna asked distastefully. She hated the idea of having her memories messed with as much as Elena did. 

“If you learn something that’s too dangerous to know. If something happens that you’d rather forget. I would only do it if you agreed,” Damon assured her. “Actually…” he looked at Bonnie. “Is there anything you can do to bind the bracelets to them so no one else can take it off or force them to?” 

“Yeah. Sure. A simple binding spell should do the trick. If you guys agree?” Bonnie asked them. 

“Yes. Please,” Jenna said holding out her wrist. 

Bonnie did the spell for both of them, and then Ric’s ring which had also been steeped in vervain, and even Elena’s locket. “Okay good,” Damon said with relief once that was done. “And now you have the peace of mind that no one can compel you without your permission. Next…” He pulled out two handheld spray cans. “Keep these on you at all times. Think of it as vampire mace. It’s made of vervain so it will burn them badly when it comes into contact.” 

“How badly?” Jenna asked curiously. 

“I would rather not demonstrate with the liquid because that hurts worse and is harder to get off, but let me see your wrist?” Damon asked, and Jenna reached out nervously. Damon put his hand on the bracelet for a second and hissed in pain before pulling back and showing her the burn. “Now imagine that in aerosol form sprayed in the face.” 

“Gotcha,” Jenna said with a nod. 

“I really wish you would stop hurting yourself to prove a point,” Elena huffed. 

“They need to understand how this works and I’m the only vampire guinea pig around,” Damon pointed out. “I’m only demonstrating the easily healable stuff and I’ve got a blood bag in here if I get too weak.” 

“How does that work?” Jeremy asked curiously. 

“Human blood has regenerating properties with us kinda like vampire blood does with humans, only we have to drink it to live. If we starve ourselves we dry up and desiccate until we get some,” Damon told him. 

“So no matter how badly you get hurt, you just drink a little blood and then you’re fine again?” Jenna asked curiously. 

“Sort of,” Damon told her. “Our two vices are wood and vervain. If wood is in contact with our bloodstream or vervain with any part of us, then we can’t heal until it’s removed. If wood pierces our hearts it kills us. Fire and decapitation are the only other two ways we can die. But Jeremy…you can never, under any circumstances, kill a vampire. If you’re in a life or death situation jam something wood into their stomach to incapacitate them and call me or someone else nearby that has a stake to do it for you.”

“Why?” Jeremy asked curiously. 

“Because you have a latent hunter gene. Not a chosen hunter like Ric, but a biological one. The moment you kill your first vampire, you will get a bloodlust to kill any and every vampire in the world. Including me. Last time around, you even tried to kill your sister after she was accidentally turned.” 

“Right. So no killing vampires then. Gotcha,” Jeremy said with wide eyes. He didn’t want to end up killing Damon or especially Elena if she ended up being turned. “If I’m turned too though, how would that work?” 

Damon considered it for a moment. “If you turn before your gene is activated, it should become a moot point. If you’re already a supernatural being you can’t become another one,” Damon told him, leaving off the long story about the hybrids. It wasn’t really important right now. He pulled one last thing out of the bag. “If you suspect someone is a vampire, test them with this. Slip it in their drink, drip it on their skin, something. But be ready to act quickly if they react to it because they will try to kill you. And finally…never specifically invite anyone in the house. You can wave them in, invite them wordlessly in other ways, but never say the words. Anyone who isn’t a vampire will be able to walk in with a wordless invitation, but once a vampire is invited in once, they will always be able to get in until or unless the house changes hands.” 

“What if a vampire owns the house?” Jenna asked. 

“Then any vampire can walk in. Only human homes are protected. That’s why my house is in Zach’s name. And only a resident can invite someone in or in the case of vacation homes that aren’t lived in, only the owner can. For example. If Elena turns, she won’t even be able to get in here without an invitation, despite living here.” 

“Okay. We’ll make sure to remember that. Anything else?” Jenna asked. 

“That’s all I can think of for now. And I’ll keep you updated when and if I have news of anything dangerous in town, so you can be on alert, but don’t let your guards down anyway,” Damon finished. 

“Thank you, Damon. Now I think we need some time to process all this,” Jenna told him. 

“Of course. And remember, I’m only a phone call away if you need anything or have any more questions,” Damon said, standing up and leaning over to kiss Elena softly before he left, followed by Bonnie, leaving the family alone to process and discuss.


	39. Chapter 39

Once Damon and Bonnie were gone, Jenna and Ric had a conversation about secrets, but he fobbed her off with the excuse that he had to wait for Damon to be ready to share the whole time travel thing before she would have been able to understand and he couldn’t do that until Elena fell in love with him which Jenna completely agreed with, so he managed to get out of trouble. The family sat around talking about all the revelations for the rest of the day, including Elena telling their story as Damon had told her. She also told them about the memories that he’d mentally shared with her. By the time that was over, Jenna had zero objections to them as a couple. If none of that could break them apart, then nothing ever would. Especially not some human guardian. 

Elena also told them about her adoption and her birth parents, pointing out that Ric was technically her stepfather. Since Damon told her how much that had meant to him, she didn’t worry about his reaction. Jenna was completely shocked that John Gilbert was her real father, but had no problem agreeing not to let him know that they knew. Just the idea that he might try to take her away made her want to stab him herself. Jeremy didn’t want to risk being separated from his sister either, so also easily agreed to keep the secret. 

The next subject they talked about was the idea of turning. Jeremy still wanted to, Ric absolutely didn’t, and Jenna didn’t feel like she knew enough to even have an opinion on the subject, so Elena told them all what she knew. She made a point of the fact that Damon had told her that there was a lot more that he felt she needed to know before making the decision. She assured them that he wasn’t taking the idea lightly and neither was she. She did admit that she was drinking vampire blood daily though so that if something happened to her she wouldn’t risk being separated from Damon before she could make a decision. She also told them that he made her promise to be careful anyway and not take risks with her life. 

When Jeremy wanted the same deal though, he was quickly shot down by everyone else. Elena told him that their soulmate bond was the only reason that Damon agreed to it with her. Because losing her would kill him. Ric even mentioned the fact that Damon planned to die when she did, not realizing that Damon hadn’t told Elena that part until Elena lost it. She didn’t tell them, but she decided in that moment that she was going to be turned no matter what she learned. She wouldn’t let Damon die one moment before he absolutely had to. 

It had taken a little while, but after talking to Caroline, Elena figured out why the other version of her had been so against vampirism. Learning Stefan’s story, and what he had told Caroline about it, made her realize that if she had been introduced to it that way it would leave a bad taste in her mouth too. Then adding in Damon running around killing and turning people proving the worst about vampires from the other extreme wouldn’t have helped. She’d been biased against them from the start. She didn’t have that problem this time though. Damon had told her the good and the bad and insisted that she understand and consider all of it before deciding. They still had almost a year for her to learn the rest before Damon would agree to turn her, but she intended to start pushing him for more information soon. It would give her more time to consider it, at least, and she was rather impatient to know. She agreed that she needed time to come to terms with everything she learned about the future first though. 

The following weekend was another ball, this time at the Lockwood mansion and all the dates were the same. As they walked in, Elena leaned over to whisper, “You didn’t have to be invited in?” 

“I’ve been invited in here before,” Damon replied, jerking his head back towards the door where Stefan was waiting with Caroline to be invited in. 

“Right,” she nodded. “That has to get annoying.” 

“Sometimes,” Damon admitted. “Usually just when there’s an open party somewhere and the owner isn’t near the door.” 

“Yeah, that would suck,” Elena laughed. 

The ball was absolutely perfect. Damon and Elena spent most of the night on the dance floor, but they took plenty of breaks and also exchanged dances with the other couples of the group including Stefan and Caroline who they’d doubled with more than once. 

Jenna’s ex Logan had tried to push himself on her during one of the rare times she was alone and didn’t want to take no for an answer. Even when she told him that she was with someone and that it was serious. She got a major creepy vibe from him, so she put her hand in her purse and opened the vial that Damon had given her, getting some of the oil on her fingers before brushing against his hand. She knew that if it was positive he would dare try anything in the middle of the crowd. When he hissed in pain and jerked his hand away, she quickly backed away, rushing off to find Damon. 

Damon was on the dance floor with Elena, as he so often was and she rushed up and whispered, “Logan Fell is a vampire and he just took off.” 

“Get Ric and then the sheriff. I’m going after him,” Damon told her rushing out the door at human speed. He snapped a branch off one of the fruit trees near the door and started scanning the area looking for clues. He still didn’t have anything yet when Ric and then the sheriff joined him. 

“What’s going on, Damon?” Liz asked. “Jenna said you needed me urgently?” 

“Logan Fell is a vampire. He’s around her somewhere. He just tried to get Jenna alone for god only knows what,” Damon said, not taking his eyes or ears off the area. 

“You’re sure?” Ric asked, handing him one of the stakes he had up his sleeves. 

“You know?” Liz asked suspiciously. As far as she knew only the council was aware of vampires. Unless Damon told him, but he wasn’t supposed to. 

“I’ve been a vampire hunter since long before I came to Mystic Falls,” Ric told her. 

“Oh, okay,” she said with a nod. “How many vampires have you killed?” 

“Around thirty,” Ric told her honestly. Not mentioning that most of them were already desiccated and all of them were the same night. 

“That way,” Damon said, pointing towards the wood. “I saw something.”

Ric and Liz followed him into the woods before they split up to search. When they heard gunshots, Damon used vamp speed to get nearby staying out of her sight before he was back to human speed and Logan had almost reached her as she was pumping him full of wood bullets, but Damon jumped in front of her just in time, knocking her back in the process and drove the stake through his heart. That worked out perfectly. Not only had he killed a vampire for her, but he’d saved her life in the process. Now he would be more trusted than ever. Just like last time after he’d killed Lexi, which absolutely wouldn’t be happening this time. 

Once he made sure that Logan was dead, he turned to Liz and helped her up. “You okay, Liz?” 

“Yeah. I’m fine,” she said shakily, putting her gun back in her thigh holster. “Thank you, Damon. I don’t know why the bullets weren’t working. I know my aim was good.”

“Let me see the bullets?” Damon asked, so she reached into her purse and handed him a couple of them. Damon took a moment to inspect them. “Yeah, these won’t kill a vampire. They’ll hurt like a bitch, but it’s not enough to kill one.” 

“Then what do you suggest?” she asked, wondering if he’d gotten these tips from his vampire hunter friend who, speak of the devil was just walking up. 

“Hey, Ric. You want to show the sheriff your wrist thingy?” he asked. 

Ric shrugged and took off his suit jacket, handing it to Damon, before rolling up his sleeve to show her. “See it’s pressure activated,” he said, punching a tree and embedding the stakes into it. He pulled them out and put them back in the holster, deciding to show off some more of his little toys. “Then there’s these,” he said reaching into his pocket and pulling out what looked like a small grenade. “Vervain grenades. Pull the pin and toss it and it sprays vervain in every direction.” He bent down and pulled down his sock. “Vervain tranquilizers if you get close enough to put a shot in one. I have a gun that shoots them too, but there’s only so many places to hide things for everyday use. Whenever I’m out hunting I take the full kit though,” he told her as he put it back. 

Liz looked him over appraisingly. “Would you be willing to share of this stuff?” 

“The wrist holsters, yeah. The rest, no. The vervain can be changed out for other things and it’s too dangerous in the wrong hands,” Ric told her after a look from Damon. Damon didn’t really want the council /that/ involved in actually hunting vampires. Since he was the one that mentioned the holster, Ric assumed that Damon didn’t mind him sharing that though and got a nod of acceptance confirming it. 

“Fair enough,” Liz agreed. Even that much would make them so much safer.”I’ll talk to the council about putting in an order from you.” 

“We should also consider putting him on the council too,” Damon suggested. 

“There is precedence…” Liz said thoughtfully. “It hasn’t been done in a long time though. You should be the one to bring it up, Damon. They like you more.”

“Will do,” he easily agreed. “But for now we should get back to the party and assure our girls that everything is okay now,” he told Ric. 

“They know?” Liz asked worriedly. 

“I told Jenna and the kids,” Ric lied for Damon, knowing that oaths of silence were part of the council. “I wanted them to be safe. That’s how Jenna found out about Logan. She’s wearing vervain.” 

“Fair enough,” Liz said with a nod as they walked back, Ric putting his jacket back on as they did. He wasn’t part of the council yet and wasn’t subject to the secrecy oath, so no one could say anything about that.


	40. Chapter 40

When Ric and Damon got back to Jenna and Elena, they were more than a little nervous and Jeremy, Bonnie, Stefan, and Caroline had joined them. Damon walked up and threw an arm over Elena’s shoulders as he said quietly. “It’s all good now. He’s caught and killed. Nothing to worry about.” 

“Did you have to kill him?” Jenna asked distastefully. 

“Unless you want to serve the Lockwoods up as snacks now that he has access to their house. Not to mention he was about two second from taking a bit out of the sheriff. Even if I wanted to spare him, she wouldn’t have let me. The council thinks all vampires need to die remember?” 

Jenna sighed. “Yeah, I get it. It’s just…they’re people too.” If she didn’t know Damon and Stefan she might even agree with the council, but they were proof that vampires could be good too and were people just like anyone else. 

“I appreciate that sentiment, Jenna, but don’t hold too tightly to it. Stef and I are the exception rather than the rule. Vampires, at the core, are predators and humans are their prey. I can count on one hand the number of vampires I’ve known that actually care about humans,” Damon told her. “Now I’m not saying to kill them all on sight. I’d be a hypocrite if I did, but never trust a vampire until or unless they prove to be trustworthy.” 

“He’s right,” Stefan jumped in. “Even we have both killed people in the past and probably will in the future, whether we intend to or not.”

“Don’t worry though. Even if we do spiral, none of you will be harmed. You’re family,” Damon told her, annoyed at his brother for putting that fear in their heads despite knowing that they needed it. Especially the ones who wanted to turn at some point. 

“Okay,” Jenna said nervously, trying to force the image of Damon and Stefan killing people out of her mind. She liked them too much to want to think of them like that. 

“Come on,” Damon told Elena. “Let’s go get a few more dances in before the obligatory mid-ball council meeting.” 

Once the time for the meeting came about, Damon slipped into the back room set aside for it and poured himself a bourbon. The booze back here was much better than the public stuff. Once everyone was gathered and the mayor opened the floor, Liz said, “We got a vampire out in the woods tonight.”

“What, here?” Carol asked, feeling a bit faint. All these years of council meetings and they’d never actually gotten one. Especially at her home. 

“Logan Fell was apparently turned at some point,” Liz explained. “He almost killed me, but Damon saved the day and took him out.” 

That got all eyes on Damon. “I got a tip that he was a vampire so we went out looking for him. We split up in the woods, and when I heard Liz shooting I rushed over just in time. The wood bullets were slowing him down, but not enough to put him down for good.” 

“But Logan Fell…he was one of us,” another of the members said in shock. 

“Not anymore,” Liz said angrily. 

“I think we should start testing all the council members at every meeting. If they manage to infiltrate us like that again, we’re in trouble,” the mayor suggested. 

Damon resisted the urge to wince. This wouldn’t be good, but maybe he could mitigate the damage a bit. “That’s a good idea. Maybe start having the meetings during the day with the curtains open so everyone has to stand in the sun?” 

“Good thinking, Damon,” another of the members said. “But sometimes we’ll have to meet at night still.”

Damon had been afraid of that. Time for plan B. “Okay how about this. Everyone put your drinks on the table,” he said as he pulled out the vervain dropper that he always carried on him for these meetings to keep suspicion down, since everyone carried vervain in some way. He went over and put two drops in each drink, including his own. He was up to three a day at home, but three burned enough that he still had a visible reaction. He saw the nods of acceptance all around before they all picked up their drinks and tossed them back. He was glad when that was considered good enough. 

“Now that’s settled, anyone have any other business?” 

“I do actually,” Damon piped up, ignoring the burn in his throat. “I wasn’t sure if I should bring it up before, but after tonight, I thought it would be a good idea. Are you all familiar with my friend Alaric Saltzman?” 

“The history teacher at the high school?” Carol asked getting a nod from Damon. “Tyler says he’s a good teacher, but I don’t know more than that. Why?” 

“Well, he happens to be a vampire hunter,” Damon told them. “That’s how we met actually and why he came to Mystic Falls. I think he could be a good addition to the council.” 

“Is he any good?” someone asked. 

“He says he’s killed about thirty vampires,” Liz said. 

“Oh he has,” Damon chuckled a confirmation. 

“But he’s not a founding family,” Carol pointed out. 

“Exceptions to that have been made before,” someone else said. 

“Plus he’s a guardian for the Gilbert kids,” Damon told them. “He could hold the Gilbert seat in trustee.”

The mayor nodded. “I like that idea. Any objections?” When no one spoke up, he said. “Okay. Next meeting, bring him along, Damon.” 

“Will do,” Damon said with a lop-sided smirk. 

“He also has something that he’d be willing to sell us. It’s a pressure activated wrist holster that holds two stakes. I saw it in action, and it would definitely come in handy,” Liz suggested. She wasn’t going to mention his other toys. She understood his concerns about parting with them, but knew that others wouldn’t. The stakes alone would be likely to save their lives. 

“We’ll check it out at the next meeting,” the mayor agreed and they broke up, heading back to the ball where Damon actually sat down for a little while. 

“You okay?” Elena asked worriedly. Damon didn’t often sit down at these things. When he wasn’t dancing he was usually mingling. 

“I will be. Just feeling the effect of vervain at the moment,” he whispered. “Apparently, since Logan was part of the council they decided to start testing everyone at the meetings.” 

“But you passed?” Elena hopefully confirmed. 

“Thanks to building up my tolerance and the fact that they trusted me enough not to protest only a few drops in each drink, yeah. Still got me a little low on endurance though. Especially since I already had my daily dose this morning and haven’t fed since then.” 

“We can disappear somewhere and take care of that,” she offered, but Damon shook his head. 

“When the entire council is present and already on edge after one vampire was found at this very party? Not a chance,” Damon pointed out. 

“Good point,” Elena winced. “But you’ll be okay until it’s over right?” 

“Yes, baby,” Damon said amusedly. He loved how she worried over him. “I just might need to sit down for a bit every now and then.”

It was only a few minutes before Damon was up and dancing again, only sitting out every fifth song for the rest of the evening. He knew that he was expected to just drop Elena off since it was so late and not come inside, so he wouldn’t be able to get any blood from her unless he wanted to do it in the car which was a really bad idea, so once they were on the road, he grabbed a blood bag from the cooler to sip while they drove, glad that it didn’t gross Elena out. 

Elena had asked for more information about vampirism, but Damon convinced her to wait until the next weekend after the ball. There was still the car wash fundraiser, but that would only be half the day. When it came around, Damon went to get his car washed, of course. He would have even if Elena hadn’t asked him to. Because he was generous like that, he even made a donation beyond the cost of the car wash if Elena would be one of the ones to wash it. While they were washing, Damon leaned against the wall out of the way with his arms and ankles crossed watching with a smirk. 

“Better be careful you don’t get water all over that nice leather jacket,” Bonnie teased him as she came over holding a hose. “Because you look like you could use a cold shower.” 

Damon laughed and shook his head. “Don’t even think about it,” he said despite knowing that it wouldn’t hurt anything other than make him wet. It ended up being a moot point anyway, because as Elena and one of the cheerleaders he didn’t know finished washing it, Damon said, “I think you missed a spot.” 

“What? Where?” Elena asked. 

“Right down there at the bottom,” he told her and when she bent down to look, Bonnie’s laughter clued her in. 

Elena huffed at him. “Damon!” she chided and threw the wet rag at him. 

He caught it against his chest as he walked over and handed it back to her. “Can’t blame me for trying,” he grinned, pulling her into a kiss. Even after being together for a month, they still got ogled by the high school kids. Mostly Damon, but Elena had her fair share of admirers too. Then there were the near constant glares from Matt Donovan. He was surprised that he hadn’t been confronted yet. In his experience the kid was stupid enough to do so. Then again, he was rarely out and about without either Elena or Ric.


	41. Chapter 41

After the car wash, Damon and Elena went to her house. Damon didn’t want to do this outside since he wanted her to take off her locket for part of it and he knew that Jenna wasn’t comfortable with Elena spending too much time at his house. Not that they didn’t, of course. They just didn’t flaunt it. That meant doing this in Elena’s room, with the door open obviously, but the curtains closed. Damon was more than a little paranoid about some things and wasn’t going to take even the slightest risk that her status as a doppelganger get out. That was part of the reason that he agreed to do this so soon. He knew that eventually Isobel would be coming to town followed by Katherine, but right now it should be quiet for a few more months. 

Once they were in her room, they sat on her bed facing each other and Elena took off her locket. “Now, I want to say in advance that I’m sorry about this. But I need you to completely understand. I need you to be really absolutely sure,” Damon told her. “If it helps, you had Stefan do this to me about becoming human in the future.” 

“I know, Damon. I understand,” she told him, bracing herself for what was coming. 

“I’m gonna start with some memories I have of you being a vampire from the future,” he explained. They would be easier. He couldn’t simulate feelings during memories so it would just be watching. The ones where she was actually herself in manufactured visions would be harder. He put his hands to the sides of her head and projected the first memory he planned to show her. At the serial killer themed frat party. She watched herself feed indiscriminately on the students and lose more and more control of herself before ending up dancing with Damon. She couldn’t really regret that part though other than the small twinge of knowing that at the time she’d been with Stefan making it not really like her. 

When it ended, Damon pulled out of her head, and she asked, “Is it always like that?” 

“Not always no. It can be if you want it to be, but at that time you were half starved before we went there. You were trying Stefan’s animal blood diet, but couldn’t keep anything down and then after that were just taking little bits from one of your human friends who volunteered. Once you let yourself get that low, once you start feeding again it makes you a little high, and if you’re going to lose control, that’s when it will happen. Let me show you.” Damon put his hands back on her head and showed her the memory of her feeding on Matt and nearly killing him before Damon had to pull her off and physically restrain her.

“Oh god. I could have killed him,” she said horrified. “And he volunteered for that?” 

“I may have guilted him into it a bit,” Damon admitted. 

“How?” Elena asked, not having gotten that story yet. 

“The accident where you died and turned, Matt was driving and you were run off the same bridge where your parents died. When Stefan jumped in to save you, you insisted that he save Matt first. I told him that it was his fault you were a vampire in the first place and that you sacrificed your human life and died to save him so he needed to make it up to you.” 

“Damon!” she chided gently. “That was cruel. Did I know that then?” Damon shook his head. “Good. At least I didn’t know that I was taking advantage of him.” She wasn’t really mad at Damon over it, though she meant what she said. She got why he did it though. If she was starving herself and wouldn’t feed from random people, it was the only way to keep her alive. 

“Now lets get a little taste of what you were like without your humanity,” Damon told her, pulling her into another memory. He let her see flashes of how manipulative she was, feeding on people at the club, and breaking the waitresses neck just to prove a point. “And that was extremely tame for an emotionless vampire. Only because you were trying to prove to me that you could keep it together.”

Elena had silent tears streaming down her face at what she’d done. She could only imagine how guilty she would have felt. Hell, she felt guilty just watching it. As much over how she treated Damon as for the people she hurt. “I get it,” she told him. “What’s next?”

“This is the easy part Elena. From here it gets harder. We don’t have to any more today though. We can space this out a bit.” 

“I’m good for now. I want to get to at least one of the hard ones now,” she told him. 

Damon sighed. He didn’t want to throw all the violence at her at once, so he decided on different type of vision, saving the worst for another time. “Okay. So one thing you should know that if you go too far, there are those that will put you in a ‘time out’ so to speak. Stefan tried to do that to me around this time before. What that means is that you will be locked up until you desiccate and only be let out after a few decades or centuries, depending on how badly you pissed them off.” When she nodded that she was ready, he created a vision of her starving as she slowly desiccated, fast forwarding but allowing her to feel everything as she slowly starved. Once she was fully desiccated he left it for a ‘few weeks’ of fast forwarded time before pulling out. 

Elena doubled over, gasping for air, tears streaming down her cheeks as she rocked back and forth. She had actually felt every miserable moment of that and she thought she was going to die. Damon quickly gathered her in his arms, just as the sound pulled Jenna to the doorway to see if they were okay. Damon rocked with her, petting her hair as he whispered. “I’m so sorry, baby. But you need to see. You need to understand. I’m sorry. It’ll be okay. I’ve got you.” 

Jenna gave a sad smile when she caught Damon’s eyes and nodded at him before she left. She hated that Elena was being hurt, but knew that it needed to be done. Better now than ending up with an eternity of misery because she didn’t know what she was getting into. 

It took a while for Elena to calm down and settle in his arms comfortably, and she asked, “Has that ever happened to you?” 

“Once. For about five years,” he told her. “And I almost did it again when Stefan got me around this time before, but I managed to escape before I got too far to move.”

“Wait…didn’t you say that you were planning to desiccate until I woke up from the coma?” she suddenly remembered sitting up and spinning around to look at him. 

“It would have hurt less than living without you, Elena,” he said seriously and she burst into tears again, this time for him as she kissed him desperately. She was finally starting to understand just how much he loved her. If he would prefer that to being without her…it boggled the mind. Then again, he did say that emotions were much more intense as a vampire. 

Once she was calmer, she sat back up. “Okay. One more,” she told him. 

Damon shook his head. “No, baby. Not right now. You need a break,” he told her. So did he. Doing this to her was tearing him apart. He always swore that he would never hurt her, but now he was. Even if it was for her own good. 

“Later then?” she asked hopefully and he nodded. There were two things that he planned to show her that he knew would hit her even worse, and he wanted to split them up, so he would give her one more tonight if she still wanted it and then they could hopefully be done with this by tomorrow and get it over with. 

“Do you want to go downstairs with everyone else or stay up here for a while?” he asked her gently as he put her locket back on her. 

“Up here for now. We can go down a little later,” she told him, snuggling into his arms. She just wanted to be held for a while. It was about an hour before she was ready to let go and they headed downstairs, cuddling on the couch instead and talking to Jeremy, Ric, and Jenna. 

After dinner, Damon volunteered to help Jenna clean up so he could get a chance to talk to her. Once he was sure that Elena was out of earshot he turned back to Jenna, but before he could say anything, she asked, “Okay, Damon. What’s up?” 

“What do you mean?” Damon asked, caught off guard. 

“You never offer to help clean up and that was obviously checking to make sure Elena couldn’t hear us,” she said pointedly. 

Damon chuckled at how easily she’d seen through him. “You’re right. I need to ask you for a favor that I know you’re not going to like.” 

“Okay. What is it?” she asked. 

“I want permission to stay with Elena tonight. And whatever other night we finish this. She’s probably going to have nightmares if not worse and doesn’t need to be alone. You have my word that we will both wear pajamas that will remain fully in place at all times,” Damon assured her. 

Jenna tilted her head for a moment thinking, but didn’t give an answer yet. “I’ll wash, you dry,” she told him as she took her place at the sink and Damon followed. “I know you said that you were showing her what life will be like as a vampire, but how? And what exactly are you showing her?” She needed to understand just now serious this was before she could make a decision. 

“I’m able to get into her head and give her visions so that she can experience things first hand, though the first few were just watching memories I have of her vampire self from before which was a lot easier since she was just watching, not participating. The last one though…I let her experience desiccation.” 

“And what is that, exactly?” Jenna asked. She knew it didn’t sound good. 

“It’s basically the vampire version of a time out. You get locked away and starved, but since we can’t die that way, our bodies just desiccate. By the end of the first week, we can’t walk. Week two, we get too weak to use our limbs at all. By the end of week three, we can’t move at all or speak and our bodies wither away. It feels like sandpaper grating over every bone in your body and you’re completely trapped in your own mind until someone comes along and feeds you some blood to fix you up,” he explained. 

Jenna had tears in her eyes just hearing about it. She couldn’t imagine experiencing it. “That’s happened to you?” she asked, and he nodded, but didn’t expand on that and she didn’t ask him to. “Is that the worst thing you’re going to show her?” 

“That’s the most physically painful, but there are two things that are going to hit her a lot harder. I plan to space them out though. She wants one more tonight and then I’ll do the other bad one tomorrow or next weekend or whenever she’s ready,” Damon told her.


	42. Chapter 42

“What’s worse than that?” she asked horrified. 

“A ripper binge…think a psychotic break killing spree…and watching every mortal she knows and loves die,” Damon told her. 

She handed him the last dish, taking a few deep breaths to clear her mind. As glad as she was that he was taking this so seriously and being so careful, she hated that it needed to be done at all. “Okay. You can stay. But your word that you will not sleep with my underage niece under this roof,” she said firmly. 

“You have my word,” Damon assured her as he put the dish away and then headed back to the living room and asked Elena, “Are you sure you still want more tonight?” 

“Yeah,” she nodded. “Now?” 

“Best not to do it immediately before bed, so yeah,” Damon told her, holding out his hand to her. They took their places back on the bed, and he said, “The last thing I’m going to show you tonight is a ripper binge.”

“But I’m not a ripper,” she pointed out. 

“You weren’t last time, which means you probably won’t be this time, but there’s no way to be completely sure. We don’t know what causes it or how it happens. For all we know, turning on a different day at a different time or in a different way could affect it. Besides, anyone can go on a ripper binge. Rippers are just the ones who can’t drink human blood without it.”

Elena took a few deep breaths to steady herself, taking off her locket and nodded that she was ready. She felt his hands on her head and then she found herself drinking blood and losing all control until the guys head ripped off and then she was doing it again and again. People were screaming and running away, but she chased them down. After ten of them, she stopped and suddenly found herself flooded with a guilt stronger than anything she ever thought imaginable. Just as she collapsed in sobs in the vision, she found herself back in the present and rushed to the bathroom to vomit. 

Damon followed her, kneeling beside her and holding her hair back with one hand while the other rubbed soothing circles on her back. Once she was finished she turned and threw herself in his arms, crying and he hugged her for a long moment before picking her up and carrying her to the bed. She was still trembling and crying when Ric stepped in and winced at the sight. He held up a pair of sleep pants. “You can borrow these. They’ll be more comfortable to sleep in than your jeans,” he said softly as he but them on the end of the bed and headed out. 

It was almost an hour before Elena calmed down enough to speak. “I know we said only one more tonight, but…”

“No, Elena,” Damon said firmly and he wasn’t budging this time. 

“Just listen,” she sniffled. Damon sighed, but nodded. He would hear her out and then he would say no again. When he didn’t say anything she continued. “I know that you’re trying to show me the worst that it can be, but maybe we could end the night with the best? Show me something good. Fun.” 

Damon relaxed at her request. That was one he could get behind. “Okay. I can do that,” he smiled slightly as he tried to consider what to show her. Once he decided, he didn’t move her off his lap and just moved his hands to her head from there and she found herself running up a mountain. She felt free and exhilarated. The emotions were so much stronger and clearer than anything she’d ever felt before and then she reached a rockface and she jumped up. Flying through the air was even more incredible and the moment her feet hit the ground she was moving again. The view from the top of the mountain was amazing. The sun was setting and bathing the forest and river in glistening light and the last rays of the sun were warming her skin. She just drank it all in for a long moment before she found herself back in the present. 

She smiled and reached a hand to brush his cheek. “Thank you,” she whispered before leaning in for a kiss. 

Damon put a finger to her lips to stop her. “You know how much I love you, Elena, but please go brush your teeth first? Enhanced senses remember?” 

Elena chuckled as she realized that he had recently thrown up and now that he mentioned it she could taste it in her own mouth too. “Okay. Sorry,” she said sheepishly, climbing off his lap and heading for the bathroom. While she was gone, Damon took the opportunity to change into the sleep pants that Ric had loaned him and when Elena came back he was stretched out on the bed wearing them and nothing else. “What are you doing?” Elena asked curiously. 

“Sleeping here tonight. Unless you object,” he said with a smirk. 

“I don’t, but Aunt Jenna will,” Elena said pointedly.

“Nope. Already got permission. With certain promises, of course.” 

Elena grinned and grabbed her own pajamas. “In that case, I’ll be right back again,” she said heading to the bathroom to change. When she got back she made him get up so she could pull back the covers before they laid under them and his arm went around her as she rested her head on his shoulder. Her arm draped over his stomach as her hand trailed over his chest. “You really get to stay all night?” she asked hopefully. She fell asleep in his arms most nights anyway, but waking up in them would be new. 

“All…night…long,” he punctuated each word with a kiss. They cuddled for a long time before she fell asleep first. He stayed up for a while longer and watched her sleep, waiting for the nightmares. She hadn’t had one yet by they time he fell asleep about an hour after her, but he wasn’t asleep long before he was woken up by one. He just hugged her tighter, rubbing her arm and whispered soothingly, hoping he wouldn’t have to wake her up all the way and he didn’t. This time at least. She soon settled back down. He almost wished that he dared to have her keep the locket off all night so he could soothe her dreams from the inside, but he knew that was a cheat. She needed to work through this in her subconscious or it would just get worse in the long run. 

The next time he was woken up by a nightmare, he ended up having to wake her completely too since he couldn’t calm her down otherwise. She sat straight up panting for breath and started crying. He sat up next to her and hugged her, running a hand through her hair. “Shh. It’s okay. It was just a bad dream,” he whispered. “I’m here, baby. I’ve got you.” 

It only took a few minutes to calm her down and she turned her face into his chest embarrassed. “I’m sorry I woke you up,” she told him, able to hear the sleep in his voice. 

“This is why I’m here, Elena,” he said gently. “You have nothing to be sorry for.” 

She couldn’t help the slight smile that blossomed on her face as they laid back down. To think that he willingly volunteered for a night of interrupted sleep just so that he could be here for her. It was about an hour later when Jenna peeked in the door to check on them and couldn’t help but smile at the sight. She wasn’t quite ready to see her niece curled up like that with a man, but she couldn’t deny how perfect they looked wrapped up together like that. She was thankful that the body heat had apparently caused them to kick the covers down so she could see that they were both still dressed. That way she didn’t have to wonder. She eased the door back closed and went back to bed herself. 

Damon was woken up four more times by her nightmares over the course of the night, but only had to wake her up once more, but again, she calmed quickly and they were soon back to sleep. As a result of the difficult night it was after eleven the next morning when they woke up. They took turns showering before heading downstairs to see that Jenna was already working on lunch and was almost done. Damon went over and stole a taste of the sauce, grabbing the oregano and adding some before Jenna could smack him and push him away with a laugh. Damon smirked and let her, walking over to the table to sit next to Elena. 

After lunch, Damon asked Elena, “Did you want to finish up today or wait until another time?” 

“Today. Please. I want to get it over with,” she told him. “How many more are there?” 

“Four, but three of them are short,” he told her. “Plus, we can end with a happy one again, so five if you count that,” he promised. 

“Then yeah. Let’s finish it today.” 

“Okay,” he agreed. “Let’s just hang out for a little while first though. Get a little distance since last night. We’ll do the three easy ones before dinner and the rest after.” She had no problem with that and the two of them joined Jenna and Ric in watching tv and chatting for most of the afternoon. Jeremy was out with Bonnie so it was just the four of them.


	43. Chapter 43

When Jenna went to start cooking, Damon took Elena upstairs for the next round. “Okay, so one thing you should know is that snapping a vampire’s neck is pretty much the normal way to end an argument. I can’t tell you how many times Stef and I have snapped each other’s necks. It knocks you out for a little while and there is a bit of a headache when you wake up. Needless to say, this is something you’re pretty likely to experience, though anyone trying it when I’m around is going to get the same done to them,” he promised. “You ready?” 

She nodded and his hands went to her head and she felt a sharp stabbing pain in her neck and then she woke up with a headache that disappeared rather quickly. When she came back to herself, she winced a bit and stretched her neck, but said, “That wasn’t so bad. I mean, yeah, it hurt, but it was fast.”

“It’s essentially the vampire version of punching someone out,” Damon chuckled. “The next one is the feeling of vervain.” She was standing in a room and suddenly was sprayed with something and she felt like her skin was on fire as she started clawing at it, screaming in pain and then she felt a quick pain in her back and her insides were on fire for a long moment before she was back in the present. 

“Okay, that sucked,” she said with a shudder, tears of pain in her eyes, but not falling. 

“Yes, it very much does,” Damon agreed. “Last one for now. Ready?” He didn’t need to explain this one. It would be self-explanatory.

She nodded and found herself fighting someone. She felt a white hot rage burning through her so intensely she could barely think around it and then pain so bad she hit her knees as she cried out. She felt like she couldn’t move. When she looked down she saw a stake sticking out of her chest, but she could tell that it had missed her heart. That didn’t make it hurt any less though. When she saw her enemy advancing on her, she felt terror of the same intensity as her previous rage. Just when she thought she was going to die, she was back in the present panting and shaking. 

Damon reached out and pulled her into his arms. “You’re okay, baby. I’ve got you,” he soothed her. It took a few minutes for her to get control of herself before she took a few deep breaths. “You’re okay?” 

“Yeah. I’m good,” she told him. It was bad, but compared to some of the other things it was nothing. 

He smiled proudly at her, but he wasn’t the least bit surprised by her strength. He picked up her locket and put it back on her just as Jenna called them for dinner, so they headed down to eat. 

Once they were done they went back upstairs, and Damon told her. “This next one is the worst of all,” he told her. “If you want to stop now, we can. We don’t have to do this.” 

“But you won’t agree to turn me until we do, right?” 

“No. This one may be the worst, but it’s also the most important. See, you’ll be immortal, but not everyone will be. Everyone else you know will die. Even if we manage to keep them all safe, they will still get old, get sick, and die of old age. Then anytime you make other human friends, you’ll watch them die too. You mentioned adopting kids? We’ll watch them die too. And with your emotions so enhanced, you will feel it more strongly than you could possibly imagine. So, I’ll ask again. Are you sure you want to do this?” 

“I’m sure,” Elena said with less confidence than before, but unwilling to back down. Damon nodded and put his hands to her head again and Elena found herself at a funeral and the grief she could feel overwhelmed her so much she couldn’t breathe. She fell to her knees and sobbed for what seemed like forever before she picked herself up and went over to the coffin, seeing Caroline laying in it. Then there was another coffin and she moved over to find Bonnie, and the grief welled up even more as another coffin appeared. Jeremy. Then Ric. Then Jenna. Then a child that looked so much like Damon and she knew it was their child and she collapsed again, raw agony ripping through her and she felt like she was dying.

When she came back to herself, she fell apart, and Damon held her again, tears streaming down his own face too this time. That last one had gotten him too, not to mention seeing her like this. It was as bad as when she lost Jeremy in his future if not worse. He hated this, but she had only known human grief before. She had no idea what it felt like as a vampire and she needed to. He still felt like a monster doing this to her. Especially so soon after she lost her parents. 

Once she managed to calm down enough to speak, she said, “Damon please…no matter what…no matter how bad I am…don’t let me turn off my humanity again…please.”

Damon nodded, running a hand through her hair. “I promise I will do everything in my power to prevent it,” he said sincerely. 

“Happy now?” she asked hopefully. Damon smiled and put his hands to her head again. He’d saved the best for last just as he’d saved the worst. He may not be able to put her in his memories, but he could give her his emotions and create a fantasy. 

Elena found herself standing on top of the lit up clock tower in the square with Damon, and felt a wash of love so strong it would have drove her to her knees if she had any control over her body at the moment. He took her hands and they began to dance to a song she didn’t recognize, twirling around the tower as the love grew stronger and stronger. She thought she had known what Damon had meant before when he talked about a love that consumes you, but she hadn’t had the slightest idea. Damon twirled her off the edge of the tower and they were falling towards the ground. They bent their knees to take the impact without breaking the dance as they moved through the street and he ended it by dipping her as he kissed her and she thought that she would explode from the intensity of the emotions. 

When she opened her eyes again in the real world, she was panting for breath, still on an amazing high and then she all but pounced on Damon, kissing him desperately. Damon chuckled and kissed her back, until she ended up straddling his waist and trying to unbutton his shirt, and then he had to stop her. He took her hands in his and pushed her up. “We can’t,” he said breathlessly. “I promised Jenna…”

“She’s probably in bed anyway,” Elena told him. “Besides, it’s not like we’ve never broken any rules before.”

When she tried to lean down and kiss him again, he held her back. “I know, baby, and believe me, I would love nothing more, but I would like at least the possibility of being able to stay again in the future and that won’t happen if we do this.” 

Elena huffed but nodded, rolling off him and plopping on the bed. “Smart man,” they heard in a smug voice from the doorway and turned to see Jenna standing there leaning against the door jam. When Elena looked like a deer caught in the headlights, Jenna smirked. “I was not, in fact, sleeping. And your bed squeaks,” she said amusedly, glad that at least one of them was trustworthy. 

Elena’s face lit up with a bright blush that even had Damon chuckling at her. “Sorry, Aunt Jenna,” she muttered. 

“Now…Can you be trusted or does Damon need to leave?” she asked them both. 

“We can be trusted,” Elena assured her and she nodded and left. As soon as she was gone, Elena buried her face in the crook of Damon’s neck and groaned. Damon laughed and hugged her. “Don’t laugh at me,” he heard her muffled grumble. 

“Sorry, baby,” he said amusedly. “We should get changed for bed.” 

She sighed and nodded, pulling herself away as she got up and headed for the bathroom, leaving Damon to change in the bedroom. Once they were in bed, they tangled in the same position as usual with Damon on his back and Elena on her side next to him as they held each other. As she laid there, Elena decided that she would take all the grief in the world if it got her just one day of that kind of love. Suddenly a thought hit her. “The love I felt in that last vision was that…” she didn’t quite dare finish the thought. 

Damon knew what she was asking though and smiled as he kissed her head. “That was what I feel for you,” he whispered. “I can’t give you anything I’ve never experienced, after all.” He felt her tears falling on his chest and he leaned his head against hers as he rubbed over her arm. “I love you, Elena, and now you know just how much.” 

“I love you, Damon,” she whispered back. “With my whole heart.” ‘As little as that is in comparison,’ she didn’t say. 

“And that’s all I could ever ask for,” Damon replied, knowing what she was probably thinking and wanting her to know that it was okay.


	44. Chapter 44

Damon only woke up to two nightmares from Elena that night and had to wake her up for one of them. That wasn’t to say that the rest of her sleep was restful though. Her dreams were haunted by death all night long. The deaths of everyone she ever knew. The only thing that kept them from turning into full blown nightmares was the fact that in all of them, Damon was right there by her side. He was a constant source of comfort, just as he had been when her parents died, but more because he was there more often. 

Elena woke up to Jenna shaking her shoulder and pointing at her watch. She nodded and turned her head to kiss Damon’s chest before easing out of his arms. He groaned and shifted but didn’t wake up and she smiled, reaching out to brush a hand lightly over his cheek before she grabbed some clothes and headed for the bathroom to get ready for school. When she got downstairs for breakfast, Jenna asked, “How was your night?”

“Not too bad. Only had a couple nightmares this time,” she told her. “I could totally get used to waking up with Damon though,” she said with a smile. 

“Yeah, well, don’t,” Jenna said amusedly. “At least not for another eight months and change.” 

“I know,” Elena sighed. Her birthday seemed so far away. She had a normal day at school and Damon picked her up after, taking her to the grill for the afternoon where they played pool for a while before dinner. Damon, as he always was, was very affectionate. Most people had stopped noticing by now, but one in particular hadn’t. 

Matt had been waiting for a chance to make his move, but he didn’t get a chance until now. He saw Elena slip off to the bathroom and headed over to the pool tables, purposely bumping into Damon. When Damon just rolled his eyes and ignored it, he pushed him. “What’s your problem, man?” 

“You don’t want to do this,” Damon said dangerously only to get pushed again. Damon sighed heavily, trying to keep his temper reined in. Partially because Matt had been almost a friend at points in the future, but mostly for Elena. When Matt threw a punch though, that was the last straw. Damon caught the fist in his hand and twisted Matt’s arm behind his back while his other arm came up around his throat. “I could snap your neck in an instant, Donovan,” he whispered menacingly. “You do /not/ want to screw with me.”

“What’s going on here?” Elena asked angrily as she came back over. The fact that Damon hadn’t moved from their spot at the pool table and the barely restrained temper she could see in his eyes told her that he hadn’t been the instigator so she leveled her glare at Matt. 

“He’s taking advantage of you,” Matt wheezed out with his decreased air flow. 

Elena almost growled as she walked over and put a calming hand on Damon’s arm. “Let him go,” she said gently. Damon did, shoving him away in the process and Matt stumbled and almost fell down. Elena turned to Matt and said, “It is none of your business what I do with my life Matt, but if you need to hear it from me, he is not taking advantage of me in any way. So leave us alone.” 

A storm of anger blew over Matt’s face before he snapped, “Fine. But don’t come crying to me when you get hurt,” and stormed off. 

Elena turned back to Damon and threw her arms around his neck, smiling up at him. “Thank you for keeping your temper Damon,” she said proudly. “I know how much you probably wanted to kill him.”

Damon couldn’t help but smile at the approval he could see in her eyes as he wrapped his arms around her waist. “Not kill him. Maim him, yes, but not kill,” he said only partially joking. 

“Were you two friends before?” she asked curiously. 

“I don’t know that I’d say friends. There were times that we were almost friends and times where we despised each other. We mostly tolerated each other for your sake. But then I wasn’t the one you were with right after him either,” he pointed out. 

Elena sighed. At least he wasn’t losing a friend over this, but she still wished that the could at least be friendly. She hated losing Matt. They’d been best friends their whole lives. She wouldn’t give up Damon for anything though and unfortunately that seemed to be the only way to get Matt to accept her. Hopefully he would chill out in time. “I get that. But it’s no excuse.”

“Never said it was,” Damon chuckled leaning down for a kiss before they got back to their game. Neither of them noticed or cared about the light bruising forming on Matt’s neck or the fact that he kept rubbing his wrist. 

After dinner, they headed back to Elena’s house, but it was a nice night so they cuddled up together in the porch swing. “Are you doing okay after everything this weekend?” he asked. She had seemed good, but she also had a tendency to bottle things up. 

“Yeah,” she nodded. “I’m okay. It was horrible, but I get why it was necessary,” she told him. 

“So you’re rethinking your desire to be turned?” 

“No,” Elena shook her head. “If anything I want it more now.” When Damon looked at her in surprise, she chuckled. “I get why you showed me all that, but it doesn’t change anything. I mean, yeah, desiccation is torture, but it’s not like it’s something that’s going to happen often. I have you to help keep me from ripper binges, and again, even if it does happen, it’s not like it will happen often. Losing everyone was agony, but with you by my side, I can get through it, but you know what?” 

“Hmm?” Damon hummed, leaning his head against hers. 

“Even just one day of a love like that is more than worth everything else,” she said as she snuggled tighter against his side. 

Damon frowned. “I shouldn’t have…”

“Yes. You should have,” Elena told him, sitting up to look at him. “You said you wanted me to make an informed decision right? That’s what all this was about?” 

“Well, yes, but…”

“But nothing. Informed decision means the good and bad,” she pointed out. 

Damon sighed. He couldn’t exactly argue with that, so he didn’t try. There was one other thing she needed to know though. “You should know that your parents…they were on the council if you remember…”

“You’re saying they were vampire haters?” Elena asked distastefully. That hadn’t connected in her mind until just now. 

“Yes. They were. And your father…he went to medical school at Whitmore…”

“Oh god!” Elena gasped. “Don’t tell me he was an Augustine. Please.”

“He was,” Damon nodded. “They wouldn’t want this for you.” 

Elena took a few deep breaths for calm. That was a low blow, but she knew why he said it. He wouldn’t be able to live with himself if she regretted this decision and he didn’t do everything in his power to talk her out of it. “I would hope,” she finally said in a measured voice, “that they would want me to be happy more than they would hate my choices.” When Damon nodded in defeat, pulling her back to his side, she considered what she’d learned. She didn’t want this knowledge of them to tarnish her memories, but she still had to ask… “My father…he wasn’t there when you were was he? He didn’t…”

“No,” Damon shook his head. “He was after my time.” He didn’t mention the other vampires he tortured. The purpose of this wasn’t to turn her against her father. Just to make it clear that he would disapprove of her becoming a vampire. Saying more on the subject wouldn’t help that. 

“Good,” she let out a relieved breath. She was pretty sure that was the case, but had to be certain. She wouldn’t have been able to help but hate him if he’d hurt Damon. “So both of my adoptive parents were vampire haters, one of my biological parents is and the other is an unfeeling vampire. You sure you want to take on that kind of drama?” she asked in a joking tone, trying to put on a brave face over it. 

“Absolutely,” he assured her, letting her keep her true feelings to herself. This was one of those things she needed to work out on her own. “And I will never let anyone hurt you, Elena. No matter what.” 

“Thank you, Damon,” she said happily leaning up to kiss him. When the porch light came on a little while later, that was the cue that it was time to go in, so Damon bit into his hand, and allowed her a long drink before kissing her deeply since he wouldn’t be back tonight. He still only snuck into her room about half the nights.


	45. Chapter 45

The next week was Ric’s first council meeting. It was held during the day as a measure against vampires infiltrating. Damon had filled Ric in on the things that he didn’t want known about vampires, especially that there were ways they could walk in the sun. It wasn’t something the average vampire had access to anyway which was why they’d never picked up on it before. When the council started talking about looking for the vampire that had turned Logan, Damon pointed out that they were probably long gone by now. 

“Damon’s right,” Ric said, having been acknowledged as their vampire expert. “Vampires are usually migratory. If there haven’t been any other attacks or suspicious deaths, it’s likely that the threat is over.” 

Mayor Lockwood accepted that, but still said, “That doesn’t mean we should let down our guard though.”

“I completely agree,” Damon said, knowing that it was likely that more would be coming. This town tended to be a nexus of supernatural activity. He wasn’t sure if Isobel and Katherine would be coming this time around without Elena being a doppelganger, but since Katherine was after the moonstone too, not to mention Stefan, there was a good chance that she would. 

Once that was settled, Ric was asked to show off his wrist holsters and demonstrated on an old chair that Carol Lockwood had dragged up. The mayor’s wife then wrote a check for a ridiculous amount for him to make enough to outfit the entire council. Damon already had two himself, so he didn’t need one. Ric had been expecting this and had them ready to go and just had to go to the car and get them. He left his personal details off those stakes though. That way he wouldn’t be blamed if someone got stab-happy. 

Soon after, Damon started working on two concurrent plans. Three if he counted taking Elena to the high school Halloween party. He was very on board with her sexy nurse costume, and decided to go as a hot doctor. He was going to go shirtless with just the lab coat and pants, but Elena reminded him that it was a high school party so he decided on a tight muscle shirt with a low collar to go under the lab coat. 

A few days before the party though, he approached Bonnie for a favor for one of his plans and had her make two daylight rings. He did get a third degree about who they were for and had to assure her multiple times that they were for good vampires. Thankfully she trusted him enough to take his word for it and returned the completed daylight rings the next day, so Damon stashed them in his dresser to wait. 

His last plan involved a party for Stefan’s birthday at their place. He didn’t even consider the idea of the grill again. Not after last time. He’d only suggested it then as a trap to kill Lexi, and he didn’t want to bring up those memories. That had been one of the many things that his guilt had nearly crushed him over, which was ironic because he had done it to escape the guilt of what he’d done to her in the past. He had grown enough to admit that making amends might be a better way. All he’d really had to do for that though was tell Caroline about the idea and she took over from there. 

The Halloween party at the school was a lot of fun, thankfully not marred by a vampire attack this time. He and Elena had gone with Bonnie and Jeremy, and Caroline and Stefan. The next morning, he made a big breakfast, knowing that they had company, assuming things went like they did last time, and he knew that Lexi preferred to eat human food more often than not. Since Zach was the only human in the house anymore and he didn’t spent a lot of time there, Damon didn’t cook here often. 

When Lexi and Stefan came down, smelling the food, Lexi looked at him curiously, but Damon could still see some of that hate burning in her eyes. Once he set a plate in front of her and Stefan, he grabbed a blood bag for himself, not really in the mood to eat, and sat down with them, steeling himself for what he was about to do. “I owe you an apology, Lexi,” he said sincerely. “You were trying to help me, and I was awful to you.” 

“What do you want?” she asked suspiciously. 

“Nothing,” Damon told her. Forgiveness would have been nice, but he knew he didn’t deserve it. 

“Come on. Damon Salvatore never apologizes for anything. Ever. What game are you playing?” Stefan had told her that Damon had changed, but she didn’t believe him, even with the blood bag in his hand. Stefan always had a habit of seeing the best in his brother even when there was nothing there. 

“I’m not the same person I used to be Lexi,” he assured her. “I don’t expect you to forgive me or even accept me, but I do want to make amends as much as I can.” 

When Damon slid a ring box across the table towards her, she was gearing up for a rant, expecting some sort of joke proposal to make fun of her for ever daring to care about him, but then he opened it and she saw two rings. A man’s ring and a woman’s. “What is this?” 

“Daylight rings. One for you and one for your boyfriend,” he told her. “I know how much you’ve always wanted to walk in the sun, and since I happen to know a witch now who can make them…it’s the least I can do after what I did to you.”

Lexi scrutinized him for a long moment before taking her ring and putting it on. She got up and walked over to the window and opened the curtains just a crack, ready to snap them back closed if it was a trick, but she didn’t burn. She grinned and flung the curtains wide open and twirled in the sun before running outside and frolicking around the yard as Damon and Stefan followed her. Stefan went out with her and she grabbed his hand and danced around with him, but Damon just leaned in the doorway and watched with a smile. 

After a little while she came back and stopped in front of Damon. “You really have changed,” she finally accepted. At least mostly. She wasn’t going to let her guard down yet, but she would give him a chance. “Thank you, Damon. And I do forgive you,” she said with a smile, giving him a hug. 

Damon hugged her back. Yeah this was a lot better way to relieve his guilt than killing the object of it. “You’re welcome,” he told her as she let go. “And of course, you’re welcome at Stefan’s birthday party here tonight.” 

“Like I would miss it,” she grinned before turning to Stefan. “Come on. Show me around town and I can’t wait to meet your girlfriend.”

Stefan laughed and nodded. “Lunch at the grill?” Damon called after them and got an affirmative, so he went inside and texted Elena to invite her along. 

Damon and Elena got there first so they grabbed a booth and were very wrapped up in each other so didn’t notice the rest of their group get there until they sat down. “And now I see why he changed,” Lexi chuckled before introducing herself to Elena. 

The five of them had a fun lunch as Elena and Caroline got to know Lexi a little bit. After lunch, Damon and Elena headed back to the Salvatore house to start setting up for the party. With a full to do list from Caroline who was spending the rest of the time until the party with her boyfriend and his best friend. “Remind me again why I agreed to let Caroline plan this thing?” Damon asked wearily as he hung streamers and balloons. 

“Because she would have kept at you until you did,” Elena laughed. 

“Oh screw it. That’s straight enough. If she has a problem with it she can fix it herself,” Damon gave up, making Elena laugh harder. 

It was only two hours later that people started arriving, and the party was just as awesome as all Damon parties with the addition of the Caroline organized touch. It was a good combination. Damon made sure to get more than a few dances with Lexi to make sure she was having fun, and of course some with Bonnie and Caroline too, who used their first dance to lecture him about how crooked the decorations were of course. He, Stefan, and Jeremy took some time to chat too. Most of the night though was spent with Elena, as usual. 

Lexi ended up staying an extra couple days, wanting some time to get to know the ‘new’ Damon who gladly shared his blood stash with her, even though it meant needing to refill soon. He warned her against feeding in town, but they did take a trip to a city to feed, and she was impressed with his new methods. Granted she had been using the same methods all along, but she was glad that he had adopted them. By the time she left, they were relatively solid friends and she thanked him again for the ring, taking the other one home to her boyfriend.


	46. Chapter 46

Thankfully, things were quiet after that. They didn’t have to worry about the issues with the vampires Anna turned since she’d brought all but Logan Fell with her to the tomb when she attacked. Damon was glad that he’d managed to mitigate so much of the damage already. He knew it wouldn’t last forever though, but he enjoyed the quiet times while they lasted and took every opportunity to get closer to Elena, along with the rest of the family, and he included Bonnie and Caroline as family too, as much as the latter irritated him half the time. 

His adult friendships were going well too. Other than Ric and Jenna, he and Liz were relatively close, but he knew that last time they had only gotten really close once she knew what he was and he was debating whether or not to tell her. It would involve potentially locking her up to get the vervain out of her system if she reacted badly, but he really wanted that whole friendship back. He knew that she had a lot fewer open cases at the moment than she had last time, though there were probably quite a few cold cases in storage that had his name on them. That would make it easier if he did tell her. 

When Christmas rolled around, Damon actually found himself excited for the holiday for the first time in as long as he could remember. For more than the increased feeding opportunities anyway. He’d never really celebrated it since he’d turned. Even before he came back in time, he and Elena had never had the opportunity to really celebrate it and he couldn’t bear to celebrate anything when she’d been in her coma. Needless to say, this would be a first for him and he went all out on gifts. 

Damon was invited to celebrate the holiday at the Gilbert house and was even allowed to stay overnight on Christmas Eve. Stefan didn’t get the same overnight allowance from Liz Forbes, but was invited to spend Christmas day with them. Bonnie came in the afternoon after spending the morning with her dad, and Damon whipped up a big Christmas dinner with plenty of help from everyone else. Caroline and Stefan joined them in time for dinner when Liz had to go to work and the table was more than full, even after it was expanded. 

When Damon was asked to participate in the bachelor charity auction a couple weeks later, he initially refused, but when Carol Lockwood didn’t want to take no for an answer, he promised to talk to Elena about it. He wasn’t sure if he was happy or annoyed that she was apparently secure enough in their relationship to tell him to go ahead. Ric got the same from Jenna. Damon did buy Elena a ton of tickets though, hoping for the best, and hoping that without his suggestion, Carol wouldn’t rig it this time to get him for herself.

Elena ended up getting one of the other bachelors, much to Damon’s irritation. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust her. He was just as secure in their relationship as she was, but it still annoyed him. Especially when he ended up getting Carol Lockwood again. At least Jenna got Ric, so they were happy. Both he and Elena got their unwanted dates over with quickly, and he had been the only one who had to spurn the advances of the mayor’s wife. Elena’s ‘date’ was well aware that she was underage so they just had an uncomfortable dinner and conversation evening. 

Despite the drama that came of it, Damon was still glad that he had been at the Gilbert house when John came to visit. Elena was draped across his lap as they cuddled on the couch, watching a movie with Jenna and Ric when he walked in like he owned the place which…technically he did, but he didn’t live there so it was still rude. He took one look at Damon and Elena and blew his top. When he grabbed Elena’s arm and dragged her off Damon’s lap, Damon was on his feet in a second and twisted his arm away from Elena who stepped away nervously. “Don’t touch her,” Damon growled. 

“I should be telling you that,” John snapped, snatching his arm away from Damon and turning to Jenna. “How could you let her date him?” Ric started to get up and jump into the argument, but Damon shook his head at him. He knew this was going to get bad, and didn’t want it to get any worse. Ric still got up and put an arm around Jenna in support, but would stay out of it unless he got dragged in. 

“Because Damon is a good man,” she snapped back at him. “You don’t get to come in here and cause a scene.” 

“Just because I let you have custody…” 

“Let me?” Jenna scoffed. “A judge said that I had custody.” 

“And I could just as easily change that where she’s concerned,” John said angrily. 

That was what Damon was waiting for, and what he wouldn’t allow to happen. “Maybe, but that would involve a paternity test and everyone finding out about your little sordid affair and even tarnishing your brother’s reputation when it came out about the off the books adoption,” Damon smirked cruelly, enjoying the dumbfounded look on John’s face when he realized that his secret was out. “And even if you do all that, she will never accept you, and you only have a few months before she’s eighteen and running right back into my arms.” 

John stammered for a few minutes before saying, “I don’t care. It’s worth it to get her away from you and I’ll find a way to keep her away too.” He turned and stormed out. 

Elena burst into tears. “Damon you can’t let him take me away. Even if it is just for a few months.” 

“Don’t worry, baby. I won’t,” Damon assured her as he sat back down and pulled her back into his lap. Ric and Jenna also sat back down casting worried glances at each other and Damon and Elena, but keeping silent while Damon calmed her. 

“I hope you have a plan, Damon,” Jenna said once Elena was calm. “Because all he’s gonna have to do is walk in there and tell the judge that I’m letting her date a twenty five year old man and she’s gone.” 

“The way I see it we have a few options,” Damon told them. “A: we can kill him.” 

“Let’s leave that as a last resort,” Elena said, getting no arguments from Jenna or Ric. 

“B: Lock him up somewhere and let the vervain that I’m sure he drinks flush from his system so I can compel him to go away and leave us alone.”

“That’s not a terrible option,” Jenna said thoughtfully. 

“C: I could compel a judge, but that’s tricky given how complete the records are and people questioning the decision. It would buy us the time until her birthday though most likely.”

“Too risky,” Ric told him. 

“Or D: Emancipation. Since she’s only a few months away from turning eighteen anyway and an orphan, with the permission of her current guardian it would just be a matter of signing some papers and that would make custody a moot point.” 

Elena looked up hopefully. It wasn’t that she wanted to get away from them or anything and wouldn’t have any problem continuing to live here and all, but it was the best of the options. No one could make her go anywhere she didn’t want to after that. It was that or lock him up for days and mind control him, which she didn’t really like the idea of unless it was necessary. 

Jenna considered the matter for a long moment, before looking at Elena and Damon. “What are your plans if she’s emancipated?” 

“I don’t really have any since this just came up,” Damon told her honestly. “I would be happy with whatever Elena wants. If she wants to continue living here, then I will support her, but if she wants to move in with me I’d be happy to have her. And I would support any other option she chooses too.” 

Jenna turned her attention to just Elena after that. “I don’t know what I would want to do yet, and I’d appreciate if I could keep staying here until I decide though.” 

Jenna was satisfied that this wasn’t a setup to get Elena free to move in with Damon, though she suspected it would likely happen, but hopefully they would wait until her birthday. Either way, it was still the best option and the only one that wasn’t a felony. “Okay. We’ll go first thing in the morning and file emancipation. And of course you’re welcome to stay here as long as you want, even after your birthday if you wanted to.”

“Thanks, Aunt Jenna,” Elena said happily. 

“But just because you’re not going to school tomorrow doesn’t mean that your curfew is extended tonight,” she added with a pointed look at Damon just as Jeremy came in. 

Damon laughed. “I get it. I’m going,” he joked as he scooted Elena off his lap and got up. Elena walked him out to say goodnight, but he didn’t let her come past the door. “I wouldn’t put it past John to try and snatch you. I need you to stay inside tonight.” He planned to text Ric as soon as he got in the car and ask him to keep an eye on Elena for a while and Damon would sneak back later.

“Okay,” Elena said with a shudder. She could see that concern. As upset as he’d been and the threats he had thrown around. “He knows what you are right?” 

“Yeah he does,” Damon nodded. “Which was a lot more of an issue I’m sure than the age thing.”

“Are you really okay with whatever I decide after the emancipation?” she asked worriedly. “I don’t want you to be hurt if I don’t decide to move in with you.”

Damon pulled her close and leaned his forehead against hers. “My only concern, now and forever, is with your happiness, Elena. Well that and your safety. Whatever you want is fine with me. I promise.” 

Elena smiled brightly and said, “Thank you, Damon,” before she kissed him deeply.


	47. Chapter 47

Damon spent all night watching over Elena, spending most of it in her room, but disappearing out the window when he heard people getting up and moving around. Once the emancipation was through he would be able to relax. He went with Jenna and Elena to the courthouse in the city the next morning, but kept his distance from Elena, not wanting to draw too much unwanted attention that could interfere with this whole thing. The main reason he was there was to compel the hearing for right away rather than having to wait. Once that was done, he went out to do some feeding while they were in there and one of them would text him when they were done. 

It was about two hours before he got the text and Elena jumped into his arms when he got there. “I take it that it was good news?” Damon asked amusedly as he spun her around. 

“I’m emancipated,” she told him. “The judge asked some hard questions about why, but Aunt Jenna told him a story about too many members of the family are fighting for control of me to get their hands on the family money since what happened to my parents and she wanted me to be able to make my own decisions. After that, he signed off on it immediately.” 

“That’s great,” Damon said happily as they headed back to Jenna’s car. She dropped Damon at his house on the way back and then took Elena to school and filed the emancipation paperwork there too so they would know. 

As soon as he got home, Damon went upstairs and passed out. He hadn’t slept at all last night, too worried about John trying something with Elena before she was free. Granted he could still try something, but at least she was legally protected and as protected as she could get otherwise. She had Ric around both at school and at home, plus himself most of the time, and one of her best friends was a witch and the other was the sheriff’s daughter and wouldn’t hesitate to make a call if something happened. 

When Caroline reminded Elena at school that afternoon about the Miss Mystic Falls pageant next weekend, Elena groaned. She’d forgotten all about it. She almost tried to get out of it, but then remembered that Damon had told her that was when he first fell in love with her last time around, so she just said she would be there. When she told Caroline and Bonnie about the emancipation, Caroline got excited. “Oh my god. That’s amazing! Does that mean you’re going to move in with Damon now?” 

“I don’t know yet,” Elena admitted. 

“You have to know that he would love for you to,” Caroline pointed out. 

“I know,” Elena told her. “I’m just not sure I’m ready for that yet. I mean, it’s a big step.”

“I think you’re doing the right thing taking some time to think about it,” Bonnie told her. 

“If it was me, I’d be moving in with Stefan immediately,” Caroline told them. 

“Yeah but you hate your mother and you and Stefan have been together longer than her and Damon.”

“I know, but they’re like actual confirmed soulmates,” Caroline said dreamily. 

Elena laughed. “I might end up moving in with him, but I still want to take at least a couple weeks to think about it first. Soulmates or not.” 

Caroline still thought she was crazy, but dropped the subject, though Bonnie was fully on her side. The dance practice started the following Monday and both Damon and Stefan were good sports about it despite the fact that they both knew the dance. They did both play around a bit, getting chided by Caroline, though Elena didn’t care. She didn’t really care if she won or not and she and Damon would have no problem with the dance, so it didn’t matter. 

When the night of the pageant came around, all of the escorts were milling around downstairs and John came to confront Damon. “I know you compelled Jenna to sign off on the emancipation. You don’t really think that will stop me trying to get her away from you do you?” 

“I didn’t compel anyone except the court clerk and that was just to put them on the docket right away. Jenna was happy to go along with the idea to keep Elena away from you. I would suggest that you stop trying to interfere before you get hurt. It would be all too easy to get rid of that ring and then get rid of you,” Damon warned him. 

“We’ll see about that,” John glared walking off when it was time for the escorts to start lining up. 

Damon stood behind Stefan, glad that he hadn’t had a reason to fall off the blood wagon this time and would be here for Caroline. He was even more glad that he was officially here with Elena this time and looked forward to reliving this particular happy memory. He turned his full attention towards the event when he heard the announcer say, “Ms. Caroline Forbes escorted my Mr. Stefan Salvatore.” 

Caroline glided down the stairs and took Stefan’s hand as they made the walk out to the dance floor. Then it was time. “Ms. Elena Gilbert escorted by Mr. Damon Salvatore.” Damon smiled brightly as he watched Elena come down the stairs in the same blue gown she’d worn last time. This time, instead of being worried and confused, she greeted him with a smile as she took his hand and headed out to the dance floor to take their places and wait for the last couple to join them. 

Damon hadn’t told them that Caroline won last time, mostly because there was no guarantee that she would again and he didn’t want to get her hopes up. This time around, Elena was more confident since he’d relieved her of the guilt from the accident, not to mention their relationship helped. She was also more sure of herself here since she was with the date she meant to be with. No, nothing was guaranteed. 

When the dance started, Damon and Elena’s eyes met and didn’t leave each other until the dance ended and they filed back inside ceremoniously before being released to join the party as the judges deliberated. Damon and Elena danced a few more songs before Damon left her in her seat next to Caroline and Stefan who were taking a break as he went to the bar to grab a drink. 

Unfortunately, John apparently wasn’t done yet because he met him there. Damon had a plan for this though. Before John could start in again, Damon said loudly enough to carry, but not so loudly that it was obvious what he was doing, “You know that ring belongs to Jeremy right?” 

That definitely got the tongues wagging as John glared at him and replied, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Yes you do. You gave your ring away and then when your brother died you took his before it could be given to his son,” Damon told him. “I intend to see to it that Jeremy gets what is rightfully his, just so you know.” Damon walked off leaving a nervous John Gilbert and a lot of gossip behind him as he returned to his date. 

Liz stopped him on his way back though and told him that John had called an emergency council meeting for after the event and Damon assured her that he would be there. He wanted to be able to shut down whatever he was about to try next. He knew that they were after the Gilbert device and he was going to try and stir up the council to help him find it. That wouldn’t be as easy as he was expecting though since things were so quiet on the vampire front. 

Damon got back just in time for the announcement to be made that the judges had made their decision and for everyone to take their seats. Damon tossed back the last of his drink and set the cup down as he took Elena’s hand and they lined up with the rest of the contestants. When Elena was announced as Miss Mystic Falls she hugged him tightly before going up to get her crown and sash as he beamed proudly at her. Caroline was still runner up at least and had been expecting Elena to win anyway so she wasn’t that upset. She still got the night of her life with her boyfriend after all. 

Damon and Elena took the spotlight dance, joined by Caroline and Stefan halfway through, and it was just as perfect as the first dance. The rest of the night was spent dancing and mingling as Damon formulated plans for the council meeting. It would be after dark by the time it started which meant drinking vervain, but at least it was after the event so he didn’t have to worry about being weak and tired during it.


	48. Chapter 48

When everything was finished, Jenna and Elena rode home together along with Jeremy and Bonnie since Ric and Damon were staying for the meeting. Damon was going to take Ric home after. They stepped into the room and waited as everyone else arrived and drinks were poured. Once everyone was there, including John, all the drinks were lined up on the desk. “What’s this?” John asked curiously. 

“Testing to make sure we haven’t been infiltrated,” Mayor Lockwood told him as Damon pulled out his dropper to start putting some vervain into the drinks. 

“Let’s use mine,” John said, looking suspiciously at Damon as he pulled out his own vial. “That way I know it hasn’t been tampered with.” He knew that Damon must be using something other than vervain if he intended to drink it. 

“Be my guest,” Damon said with a smirk, stepping aside. “Two drops in each drink.” 

John returned the smirk and did as Damon said until he got to Damon’s drink. He pretended to slip and put the entire dropper in. “Oh. Sorry. Slipped,” he told him. 

Damon forced the grimace from his face and gave a tight smile. “No problem. It happens.” Thankfully he was up to that much daily anyway, so he would be able to handle it, but it would still burn like a bitch and wear him down since he’d already had that much once today.

Once all the drinks were dosed, John watched Damon carefully as he tossed it back. When he coughed, John’s face lit up with glee, but when it was just a couple coughs and nothing came back up his face fell. “Sorry,” Damon said sheepishly. “That much vervain in it doesn’t taste very good.” 

Everyone chuckled as they took their seats and passed out fresh drinks. From there, John started talking about how they still had more of a vampire problem than they thought. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but there haven’t been any signs of vampires, have there sheriff?” Ric asked her, pissed at the stunt John tried to pull and trying to keep at least some of the attention off Damon as he recovered. 

“None at all,” she told them. “No animal attacks, unexplained deaths, or even hospital visits for blood loss.”

“What about the blood bank?” John asked, wondering where on earth Damon was feeding from then. 

“All good. There haven’t been any thefts or inventory discrepancies,” she informed him. 

“Was that the entire reason for this emergency meeting?” Carol asked annoyed. “To try and scare us with a threat that doesn’t exist?” 

“Or maybe to distract from the fact that he stole from an orphan,” someone else muttered. 

“I have every right to my brother’s ring,” John protested shocked and annoyed at how this night was suddenly going. 

“It was supposed to go to Jeremy,” Damon chimed in. “So why don’t you just hand it over and I’ll take it to him as soon as we’re done here since I’ll be going by there anyway. Then we can just let bygones be bygones and chalk it up to a mistake.”

John clenched his fist around the ring nervously, knowing that Damon just wanted to separate him from it so he could kill him. “I’ll take it by myself. I think I owe him an apology in person,” he agreed. 

Damon nodded in acceptance. “If he doesn’t have it in twenty four hours I’ll find you and get it for him myself,” Damon warned and John nodded. 

“Well. Then since we’ve all apparently wasted our time here, we might as well head out for the night,” the mayor said with a withering look at John as everyone filed out. 

As Damon and Ric walked across the grounds, John confronted them again, confident as long as he had the ring, even if Damon had backed him into a corner. He had no choice now but to either run away with the ring or give it up and be killed. He still had to know though, “How did you beat the vervain test? I know my supply was pure.”

Damon smirked at him. “It’s called building up a tolerance, John. Nice try though. You almost got me. I dare you to try again,” he said coldly. 

“I wouldn’t if I were you,” Ric warned him as Damon walked off. “He may be reformed, but he’s not /that/ reformed.” He then walked off as well catching up to Damon at the car. 

Damon and Ric both seethed all the way home, not exchanging a word while Damon sipped on a blood bag to get some strength back. When they got there, everyone was waiting up and Ric couldn’t help but slam the door. “What happened?” Jenna asked worriedly. 

“John is going to be a problem,” Damon said wearily. 

“What did he do?” Elena asked taking Damon’s hand. 

“Tried to out Damon,” Ric said angrily, plopping on the couch. 

“He put a whole dropper full of vervain in my drink,” Damon explained. 

“Oh god! Are you okay?” Jenna asked, looking him over. 

“What did you do with it?” Jeremy asked at the same time. 

“I drank it. What else could I do?” Damon said with a shrug. “And I’ll be fine. I managed to keep it down. Barely.”

“I couldn’t believe you managed it,” Ric told him. “I tried to get an opportunity to switch drinks with you, but I was ready to fight our way out if it came to it.” 

“I appreciate that,” Damon told him. 

“What are we going to do about him?” Elena asked. 

“I think I have him sufficiently distracted for the moment, but if that doesn’t work, I think we’re going to need to revisit the idea of killing or compelling him,” Damon said. 

“Distracted? Does this have anything to do with the ring I heard you mention?” Jenna asked. 

“What ring?” Jeremy asked confused. 

“Yes. It does. John took Grayson’s ring that was supposed to go to you, Jer.” 

“Why does the ring matter so much?” he asked curiously. 

“Because it’s like Ric’s ring. If you die from any supernatural means then you come back to life,” Damon explained. “Even if you get shot, if a vampire or a witch or anything is holding the gun, you get to come back.” 

“And he took that from Jeremy!?” Jenna asked angrily. 

“Don’t worry. He’ll get it back. I gave him twenty four hours to cough it up. I’ll be headed out to track him down shortly,” Damon told them. 

“You’re not giving him the time?” Elena asked. 

“If he was going to do it, I would, but he’s going to run. He’s not gonna give up that ring when he thinks I’ll kill him the second he doesn’t have it,” Damon told them. “Best case scenario if he was shamed enough he might mail it from somewhere on the run, but I don’t trust him enough to let him get that far. I figure another…” he looked at his watch. “Twenty minutes should be enough time for him to get packed up and on the road and I’ll be there to meet him as he tries to leave town.” 

“And if he doesn’t try to leave?” Jeremy asked, not wanting to believe that his uncle would do that to him. 

“Then he gets his twenty-four hours,” Damon said with a shrug. 

“If it comes to it, lock him up until you can compel him,” Jenna said hopefully. 

Damon nodded. “I will if that’s what you all want.” He got nods all around. “Then compelling it is.” 

“Thank you, Damon,” Elena said cuddling up to his side. She didn’t want to be involved with her biological father’s death. It didn’t bother her that Damon had no problem killing him. He may not kill mindlessly anymore, but he had no problem doing so when it was necessary and she had come to terms with that. 

“You should know by now that I would do anything for Elena,” Damon said softly leaning down for a kiss getting an aww from the adults and an eew from Jeremy. “And on that note, I have a trap to set. I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

Damon parked at the side of the road and waited until he saw John’s car coming before he pulled out across the road and got out, leaning against his car with his arms crossed. John skidded to a stop about two feet from him, but Damon didn’t flinch. It wasn’t like it could kill him anyway. When John stepped out of the car, Damon smirked and said, “Going somewhere?” 

“Just to the city to do some shopping,” John tried to bluff. 

“Yeah, I’m not that stupid,” Damon said wryly. “I’ll tell you what…you hand over the ring right now and agree never to come back to this town, and I’ll let you leave unharmed.” 

“Or what?” John asked, trying for false bravado.

Damon could see right through it though, and stalked towards him. He reached out and grabbed John’s wrist quick as lightning and held it in a bruising grip as he leaned forward to whisper menacingly in his ear. “Or I’ll rip off your whole hand, kill you, and take the ring off your cold…dead…finger.” If there was one thing Damon was good at, it was bluffing. 

“You won’t come after me?” John asked after a moment. Letting him leave wasn’t the best promise because he could just chase him down later. 

“As long as you stay out of my town, you will have nothing to fear from me,” Damon assured him. “Do we have a deal?” 

John snatched his wrist away from Damon who let him, and pulled the ring off his finger. He didn’t have much choice right now, but he still intended to get his daughter away from him. He just couldn’t do it himself. He slammed the ring in Damon’s hand as he snapped, “Fine.”

Damon took the ring with a smirk and gave John a mocking salute as he got back in his car and drove off and John did the same, trying to ignore the way his heart was pounding in fear.


	49. Chapter 49

Damon knew that it was too late to go back to Elena’s so he resigned himself to updating them in the morning. He headed over there around ten am and handed Jeremy the ring and he immediately put it on. “What happened?” Elena asked curiously. 

“It was just like I expected. He was on his way out of town. I offered to let him leave unharmed if he handed over the ring and promised never to come back,” Damon told them. 

“So it’s over? No more interference?” Elena asked hopefully. 

“I doubt it’s over. If it goes like last time, the next visit will be from your biological mother. He’ll use her next.” 

“How?” Elena asked. 

“She’ll probably come to you Ric, and then use you to set up a meeting with Elena,” Damon told them before looking at Elena. “You don’t have to go to the meeting if you don’t want to. I’ll handle it if you don’t.” 

Elena shook her head. “No, I do. I need to meet her at least once,” she told him, knowing that he wouldn’t even give her the option, at least not without a lot of warning, if Isobel intended to hurt her. 

“Fair enough,” Damon agreed. “But I /will/ be there. She’ll insist on meeting you alone, but I’ll be close enough to listen and intervene if necessary.” 

“Will it be necessary?” Elena asked. 

“It wasn’t last time, though she did upset you quite a bit,” Damon admitted. “I’m pretty sure that was mostly because you weren’t expecting her to be so unfeeling.” 

“Well now I know what to expect,” Elena pointed out. “What does she want? Just for me to stay away from you?” 

“She’s looking for something that one of the entombed vampires stole from the original John Gilbert. She’s planning to use us to get it, but it’s completely destroyed. I made sure of that when we burned the vamps.” 

“Should I tell her that or…” 

“Honestly, I don’t know,” Damon told her. “I’m not even sure if they’re still looking for that this time since the tomb didn’t open and using it was John’s plan who can’t come back now to carry it out. For all I know she won’t be coming at all after the changes I’ve made, but I would still count on it. John wanted /something/ from the council and he didn’t get it.”

“Okay. I’ll play it by ear then,” Elena told him. 

“And like I said, I’ll be nearby,” he assured her. 

It was a week before Isobel approached Ric about setting up a meeting with Elena and he agreed. They were going to meet at the grill for lunch the next day. Damon got there early and staked out a table in the back. He had roped Stefan into this too and Stefan headed to the opposite corner. Once Elena got there, both brothers were on the lookout for Isobel. 

Isobel sat down at the table next to Elena after a moment and looked her over. “Why did you want to meet me?” Elena asked, not in the mood for small talk. “It can’t be to just catch up.”

“Because I’m curious about you,” she said and Elena almost felt a spark of hope. Maybe Damon was wrong. Then she dashed it. “But the real reason is…I want Johnathon Gilbert’s invention.”

“It’s destroyed,” Elena told her. 

“It can be fixed, I’m sure,” Isobel told her. 

“Well I don’t have it,” she said.

“But you know where it is.”

Elena needed to stall. She needed to talk to Damon and make sure it couldn’t be fixed before he let her get her hands on it. Instead she changed the subject. “Why do you regret being a vampire?” 

“Who told you I regret it?” 

“Damon.”

She laughed. “And you think Damon would tell you the truth? He doesn’t know the meaning of the word.” 

“Why would you think that? Did he lie to you about it? Is that why you regret it?” 

“Why the questions?” Isobel asked. 

“Because I want him to turn me, but he thinks I’m going to regret it like you do,” she admitted. 

In the back booth Damon winced. That wasn’t the best idea. He watched a lot closer from there. “You will,” Isobel told her. 

“Why? You have to give me a reason,” Elena told her. 

“No. I don’t,” Isobel said as she got up. “Get me the device by tomorrow or I start ripping out throats.” She walked off without waiting for a response. 

Damon rushed out the back and met her in the street. “If you harm one hair on her head Isobel, I will tear you limb from limb. You understand?” She just glared at him and stalked off. 

Elena came out next and rushed over to him. “Damon, are you sure…” 

“Shh,” he cut her off with a finger to her lips. “Not here. Come on.” He led her back inside and into the bathroom and locked the door before turning all the sinks on full blast. “Okay now we can talk. Quietly.”

“Are you sure the invention can’t be fixed?” she whispered. 

“Positive. Grandma Bennett completely dispelled it and if they had another witch that could do the spells they could put it on something else and wouldn’t need this one. There’s no need to put anyone in danger. I’ll go get it and hand it over to her. You don’t need to be involved any more.” 

“Okay. Thank you Damon,” she said relieved. She had met her mother and not gotten any questions answered, so seeing her again wouldn’t be likely to help anything. 

“You’re welcome,” he told her with a smile. “Stef will take you home while I go get this done.” 

“Hang on,” she stopped him. “First…I wanted to tell you…” 

“Tell me what?” Damon asked curiously, wondering why she seemed so nervous. 

“I decided. I want to move in with you,” she said quickly. “If you still want me to I mean.” She had thought a lot about it over the last couple weeks and she didn’t see a downside. They were obviously forever, and she wanted nothing more than to fall asleep in his arms every night and wake up there every morning. 

Damon grinned and kissed her passionately. “Of course I still want you to Elena. I will always want you.” He turned off all the water and they headed out of the bathroom with a new spring in his step. He jerked his head at Stefan who rushed over and took her arm gently leading her away. 

Once they were in the car and safely on the way, Damon raced to the tomb and went in to grab the device before taking it to the house Isobel was staying in last time. He was polite enough to knock at least. No point antagonizing her further if it could be avoided. “Damon. I’m surprised to see you. More threats?” 

“No, actually,” Damon said wryly. “I came to give you this,” he said handing over the invention.

“Well that was easier than I expected. What’s the catch?” 

“Just that you leave Mystic Falls and don’t come back,” he told her. 

“You are fond of that ultimatum aren’t you,” she said amusedly. “First John, now me. It’s almost like you want to keep any parental influences away from your girlfriend.” 

“I don’t care about parental influences as long as they’re good ones,” Damon said coldly. 

“And by good you mean they let you do whatever you want with her,” Isobel accused. “Like that aunt of hers and my fool of an ex-husband.” 

“No, I mean that won’t hurt her or turn on her at the drop of a hat,” he said. “Do we have a deal or not?” 

Isobel considered it for a moment before nodding. “I do have a few more loose ends to tie up, so I’ll leave tomorrow.”

“Fine. But no feeding in town,” he ordered and she nodded. Once he was gone she smirked. He really should have been more specific. Not that it would have mattered. She was going to do what she wanted anyway. She wasn’t an idiot. She knew that he would end up turning her soon enough. He was Damon Salvatore after all. She wasn’t going to let her daughter be doomed to this life, even if it meant she had to die as a human. 

She gave Damon time to get far away before she headed out for the Gilbert house. She could hear him inside, so she parked in the woods and waited silently for him to leave. She could have laughed when she followed him to his car to say goodnight. Once she left him to walk back towards the house she made her move right before Elena got to the door. 

Damon was watching her walk back to the house. He didn’t usually leave until she was safely inside. Especially now. When he saw the vampire speed blur coming out of the woods he reacted immediately and ran as fast as he could towards her, getting there just as he heard her neck snap. “No!” he yelled, snapping Isobel’s neck too before Elena’s body even hit the ground and managed to catch her and lower her gently to the porch.


	50. Chapter 50

Damon’s yell pulled attention from the house and the door flung open and Jenna screamed at the sight of Damon cradling Elena’s dead body. Ric rushed over, pulling a stake. “Any reason I shouldn’t do this?” he asked Damon brandishing the stake. 

“Kill her,” Damon croaked out as he brushed Elena’s hair out of her face. 

Ric wasted no time stabbing her in the heart as Damon picked Elena up gently and carried her inside. “Is she…” Jenna started, unable to finish. 

“I hadn’t fed her my blood yet tonight, but there’s probably some still left in her system from yesterday,” he told her. He desperately hoped so. There should be at least. 

It didn’t even register with Jenna that he had apparently intended to sneak into her room later if he hadn’t done it yet tonight, and she probably wouldn’t have cared at this point if it had. She followed him upstairs as he laid her softly in her bed, arranging her comfortably. “How long will it take?” she asked worriedly. 

“A few hours,” Damon told her, pulling out his phone as Ric came in and he called the sheriff. “Liz. Hey. It’s Damon. There was a vamp attack at the Gilbert house…No we got her, but we could use some help with the disposal…the vamp attacked Elena and I don’t want to leave her alone right now…thank Liz. I appreciate it.” 

“Why did you call her instead of just taking care of it?” Ric asked. 

“Partially because of what I told her. I’m not leaving Elena right now. Partially to build trust. I need her to not doubt that I’m an ally to this town and that I’m perfectly willing and able to help protect it.”

“You’re not worried about getting them looking for vampires again?” Ric asked. 

“Nah. After your comment about them being migratory, we shouldn’t have to worry about that until signs start popping up.” 

They were startled by a knock at the door. “I’ll get it,” Damon told them. 

“I’ll go with you,” Ric followed. 

When Damon opened the door, to Liz the first thing she asked was, “Is Elena okay?” 

“She will be,” Damon assured her. “She just fell asleep, but we still want to stay close.”

“I understand completely. Can you tell me what happened?” 

“I was saying goodnight to Elena and was just walking back to my car when she came out of nowhere. I took her down just as Ric came out and he staked her,” Damon explained. 

“Do you think there are others?” she asked worriedly. 

“I doubt it,” Damon told her. “But we’ll keep our eyes open for any signs.” 

“Yeah. Thanks Damon. Ric. You’ve done a service for this town,” she told them both. 

“Here I’ll help you with the body,” Ric offered before turning back to Damon. “Call me if you need me back here.” 

Damon nodded as they left and then he went straight back upstairs. Jenna was sitting on the edge of Elena’s bed crying so Damon went and sat on the other side, taking Elena’s hand and brushing his other hand down her cheek. “She’ll be okay,” Damon assured her, feeling rather relieved himself. 

“How can you be sure? I thought you didn’t know,” Jenna asked heartbroken. 

“Human decomposition starts after about five minutes. Not in a way that humans can tell without scientific equipment, but in a way that vampires can smell. She’s not decomposing which means she will wake up.”

Jenna sighed relieved. “You know, when you first brought up the idea of turning her, I hated it. Only the fact that you were allowing her the choice and making sure she knew what she was getting into kept me from losing it. Now though…I don’t think I’ve ever been so glad.” 

“Me too. I never would have wanted it this way though,” Damon said sadly. “I wish she’d had more time.”

“But she didn’t. If you hadn’t been giving her blood, she would be dead right now, and I don’t think either of could live with that,” she said as she reached out and put her hand on his arm and squeezed. 

He put his other hand over top of hers and nodded. If she were dead, he would be right behind her. Before anything else could be said, there were footsteps on the stairs. “Aunt Jenna, I’m so sorry I’m late…oh my god!” Jeremy stopped short in the doorway, taking in the scene. “Is she…please tell me she’s not…” Jeremy rushed over frantically. 

“She’ll wake up,” Jenna assured him, pulling him into a hug. “She just won’t be human when she does.”

“Wh-what happened?” Jeremy asked, tears stinging his eyes. He knew that Damon wouldn’t have changed his mind and turned her early, especially without talking to them first.

“Isobel attacked her and killed her, but she had some of my blood in her system so she’ll be okay,” Damon explained.

“I hope you killed her,” Jeremy said hatefully. 

“I took her down, but Ric got the killing blow,” Damon told him. “He’s out with the sheriff getting rid of the body now. He should be back before she wakes up…oh crap. Can one of you humans open her locket for me?” 

Jenna reached over and did so as she asked, “Why?” 

“Behind the picture of her and I there’s a secret compartment, just pop your fingernail in there to open it and pull out the vervain please? Jer will you go get a wet rag so we can wipe out all the residue?” 

Jenna pulled out the vervain flower and picked out all the crumbled pieces she could get and set it all on the nightstand as Jeremy got back with the rag and wiped it out as best he could. “Is that good?” he asked. 

Damon reached out and gripped the locket in his hand before jerking back. “No. Get the back of the picture too.” Jeremy did so and Damon tried again. “There we go,” he said relieved. “Can one of you run out to my car and grab a bag of blood from the cooler?” 

“I got it,” Jeremy said running out of the room, needing a break from his sister’s dead body. Even if it wasn’t a permanent dead. Unfortunately, as he was coming out of the car, Liz and Alaric pulled up and he quickly put the blood behind his back. 

Before Alaric could intervene, Liz was out of the truck and asking, “Whatcha got there, Jeremy?” 

“Nothing,” Jeremy said quickly. Too quickly. 

Liz wasn’t the sheriff for no reason and she was immediately suspicious. “Let me see your hands Jeremy,” she ordered, one hand on her gun. She was worried that he was going out to look for trouble after what happened to his sister and she didn’t want anyone to get hurt. Including him. 

Ric motioned for him to put it up his shirt, and Jeremy did quickly and then showed his hands. He didn’t have it set firmly enough though and it fell to the ground. The second Liz saw it, she unholstered her gun but that was as far as she got before Alaric had her hands wrenched behind her back and used her own handcuffs on her. “Grab the blood, Jer and go. I’ll be right behind you.” 

Jeremy reached down and picked it up, running for the house as Ric dragged Liz at a more reasonable pace. “I’m sorry about this Liz,” Ric told her. 

“What is going on?” she asked. “Why does Jeremy have blood? He’s not a…a vampire is he?” 

Ric didn’t want to tell her anything without Damon’s input, so he settled for saying, “I promise you won’t be harmed, okay?” 

By the time he got her up the stairs, Jeremy had apparently told Damon what happened because he was pacing the room. Liz gasped at the sight of Elena’s dead body. “Sorry, Damon. It was bad timing. It wasn’t Jeremy’s fault,” Ric told him, guiding Liz to the chair and helping her sit. 

“I know,” Damon said in irritation. “This is just the last thing I needed right now.” 

“What the hell is going on!?” Liz asked angrily and more than a little afraid. She was almost certain that there was at least one vampire in this room and possibly about to be two if her suspicions about Elena were correct. 

“Let me know if she starts to wake up?” Damon asked Jenna who nodded so he turned his attention to the sheriff. “I’m a vampire,” he told her and she gasped, struggling in the cuffs. “Easy. Relax. You’re perfectly safe, I promise.” 

“Like I’m going to believe you?” she said angrily. “You’ve lied to us all for so long. What, you’re trying to turn the whole town one by one?”

Damon shook his head sadly. “No, Liz. I haven’t turned anyone here. Well except Elena now, but that was an accident. I fed her some blood to heal her last night so when Isobel killed her tonight it’s turning her.” No need for her to know that it was an everyday thing as a precaution. It wouldn’t help his case. “I don’t mean anyone any harm. I don’t hurt or kill people. I just want to protect this town just like you do.” 

“You’re a vampire,” she spat. 

“Yes. I am. But not all vampires are bad,” he tried to explain.


	51. Chapter 51

“I took her to the tomb to dump Isobel,” Ric told him, hoping that might help him convince her. 

“Right. So you saw all those piles of ash. Those are vampires that I killed that were going to hurt people,” Damon explained. “You know how long I’ve been back in town. Other than the brief period where Logan was running around after Anna turned him, has there been a single suspicious death or disappearance?” 

“The fact that you know these things by name is just proof that you’re one of them,” Liz argued, not wanting to give up her stance just yet, but feeling herself softening. 

“I do know them by name, yes. Anna I knew back when I was human. I met her in eighteen sixty four. Not long before I was turned by a sadistic vampire named Katherine. When I woke up after my initial death, the stage that Elena is in now, I had to drink human blood to complete the transition or let myself die for good. I tried to let myself die, but I was forced against my will to complete the transition.” He was leaving out a lot and skewing some of the facts, but wasn’t lying. “You are my friend Liz, and I won’t hurt you no matter what you decide to do with this information.” 

“She’s waking up,” Jenna told Damon, and he rushed back over to sit on the edge of the bed beside her and took her hand. 

Jeremy went to open the blood bag, but Damon stopped him. “Don’t open that and put it away somewhere for now.” Now that they had an observer, he wanted to make it perfectly clear that no one was being forced in any way. He knew what Elena wanted, but Liz needed to see that it was her choice. 

“Why?” Jeremy asked, putting it in a drawer. 

“Because I don’t want her to be able to smell it or see it just yet,” Damon told him. It took a few more seconds before Elena opened her eyes with a gasp and tried to sit up. “Easy, baby. It’s okay. I’ve got you.”

“What happened?” she asked. 

“Isobel attacked you. She broke your neck. You died,” he explained. 

“So I’m…”

“You’re in transition, yes. Where we go from here is up to you. If you want to let go, you can or you can complete the transition and become a vampire,” Damon explained gently. 

Elena had noticed the sheriff in the room handcuffed and suspected that this show was for her benefit or he would have had a blood bag in her hands the second she opened her eyes. She reached up and touched his cheek. “You know I want nothing more than to have forever with you, Damon. I’ve been thinking about this for a long time and I want to do it. I want to be a vampire with you.”

Damon leaned over and kissed her gently, motioning Jeremy to get the blood. Jeremy handed it to him a moment later and he opened it and handed it to her. “Go ahead then.” 

Liz grimaced disgustedly and looked away as Elena began to drink, but her gaze was forced back when Elena gave a pained gasp after the first sip. She watched Damon rub her back as he said, “Shh. It’s okay, Elena. Just give it a second.” She soon recovered and drank the rest of the bag quickly which had Liz looking away again. 

“Thank you, Damon,” Elena said relieved once it was done and handed it to him and he tossed it in the trash can. “How much does she know?” she asked gesturing to the sheriff. 

“Not a lot yet,” Damon told her. “She caught Jeremy coming back in with the blood not long before you woke up. How are you feeling?” 

“Okay,” she said with a smile. “I get what you said now about everything being so much more vibrant and intense. It’s a little uncomfortable.”

“That’ll pass as you get used to it,” he assured her. “Now I want to test something real quick. Get up and hop on one foot for me.” 

Elena did so immediately even as she asked, “Why?” Then it dawned on her and she said, “Oh…crap. A sire bond.” 

“You can stop now,” Damon said wearily. 

“What’s a sire bond?” Jenna asked. “And what just happened?” 

“A sire bond is rare,” Damon explained. “It happens every once in a while when there are feelings between the vampire and the human they turn. It happened last time too, which is why I was going to have Stefan turn her next year if she still wanted it.” 

“Okay but what does it do?” Jenna asked. 

“Basically it makes her my slave. Her thoughts and feelings are her own, but her actions aren’t. She’ll do anything I say and she doesn’t have a choice.”

“Please tell me there’s a way to break it,” Jenna asked hopefully. 

“There is,” Elena told her. “We already discussed the possibility after what happened before.” 

“Yeah. We’re gonna need to go to my place though.” He turned back to Liz. “I’m sorry, but you’re going to have to come with us for now. We’ll talk more once this is fixed.” He turned back to the others. “Jenna, Ric, Jer, you’re welcome to come too.” When all three of them nodded, Damon tossed Ric his keys. “You drive my car. I’ll sit in back with Liz. Jenna and Jeremy can ride separately. 

They piled in the cars and headed out. “What are you going to do with me?” Liz asked fearfully, not believing his promise that he wouldn’t hurt her. 

“We’re just going to finish our conversation a little later and then you’ll have a choice. None of the choices will involve you being hurt though,” Damon told her. 

“What did you mean about it happening last time?” she decided that she could at least try to get some information. 

“I’m from the future,” he told her, noticing her eyes widen. “In my future Elena was turned in another similar accident and a sire bond formed then. At the time we didn’t know how to break it though, so I had to stay away from her for months until we figured it out.”

“How far in the future?” Liz asked. 

“Ten years,” Damon told her. “I died trying to save the town and probably the rest of the world after that, from being destroyed. The powers that be rewarded me by sending be back in time to the moment I first met my soulmate.” 

“Elena?” she guessed. “Soulmate? Do your kind even have souls?” 

“Yes. We do,” Damon told her, hurt coloring his voice. “And you might be interested to know that you and I were best friends in the future, even after you found out about me being a vampire.” 

“I don’t believe you,” she said bluntly.

“I’ll see about getting something that will help me convince you, but I won’t be able to do that tonight.”

“What do you think will convince me?” Liz scoffed. 

“A talisman. Anyone holding it can only tell the truth,” Damon told her. “Of course, I’ll let you test it first just so you know it’s legit.” 

She narrowed her eyes at him, and decided to play along for now. “How do you walk around in the daytime? And how did you pass all the vervain tests?” 

“The sunwalking is a closely held secret that very few vampires have access to. Otherwise I would have told the council of the danger. The vervain is a matter of taking a little bit every day to build up a tolerance. It’s insanely painful, but doable.” 

“You went through all that just to fool the council?” she asked incredulously. 

“No. I went through all that so that I would be less vulnerable to people trying to take me prisoner and kill me,” he huffed as they pulled into the boarding house. 

“I’m hungry again,” Elena said as they got out of the car. 

“You will be often for the first few days. Luckily I’m all stocked up at the moment, so we’ll get you some more inside,” Damon promised, leaving Alaric to get Liz inside. “You wanna find Zach so we can get him to invite Elena in?” Jeremy volunteered to do that and soon they were all inside. This was the first time that Jenna had been here and she looked around in awe, as they all followed Damon and Elena downstairs. 

Damon opened the freezer and handed Elena another blood bag as he asked, “Now do you want to do this breaking the bond thing privately or do you want them here with you.”

“I think it will make them feel better to see it for themselves,” she told him. “But if I get bad, get them out?” 

“Absolutely,” Damon assured her. 

“How are you going to break it?” Jeremy asked. 

“Vampires have the ability to turn off their humanity. Including all emotions. Since the sire bond is rooted in the emotions, once the emotions are gone it breaks.” 

“And it doesn’t come back once the emotions are back?” Jenna asked worriedly, hoping that Elena wasn’t going to be stuck like that forever.


	52. Chapter 52

“No. Once it’s broken it can’t come back,” Damon told her. “Which is why we’re doing this here.” He noticed that she was finished with the blood so he led them down the hall to the dungeon. “I’m going to lock us in here as a precaution. Usually a vampire turns off their humanity because they’re hurting too much to handle and coming back from that is not easy. We don’t know if turning them off for other reasons will make it easier, but we can’t risk her running around without her humanity. That’s how people get hurt.” 

Liz was listening and taking everything in. “But you think she’ll be able to come back quickly?” Jenna asked hopefully. 

“I think that since I’m not turning it off because of pain that I won’t have anything to fear turning it back on so it will be easy,” Elena told her. 

“But we don’t know that,” Damon chimed in. “Losing your humanity is the easy way out. It so much easier not to feel anything. Not to care about anything. Once you’re gone you don’t see a reason to come back. Which is why I’m going to try using an order before the bond breaks with a time limit. I don’t know if it will work or not, but it’s worth a try.” 

“How long of a time limit?” Elena asked. 

“I don’t want it to be too short or the bond might not break. I figure ten minutes should be good.” Elena nodded. She didn’t think it would be needed. She loved feeling like this. A backup plan was a good idea. “Ric, you’re on door duty. I’ll be inside with her so you’ll have to let either me or both of us out when I tell you.”

“I gotcha, buddy,” Ric promised as they stepped in and Ric put the heavy steel bar over the door. 

“Okay,” Damon took a deep breath. He knew that the more forceful the order the less she could fight it so as much as he hated taking her choices away, he had to do this. “Elena. When I say go you will turn off your humanity for ten minutes and only ten minutes and then you will turn it back on,” he said firmly. “Do you understand?” When she nodded, Damon said, “Go.” 

Elena closed her eyes for a moment and when she opened them, everyone watching through the bars could see the change in her. Liz gasped in fear and took a step back, and Ric kept half an eye on her to make sure she didn’t make a run for it. “Can I at least get out of these cuffs?” she asked Ric. “They’re starting to get uncomfortable.”

“When Damon gets out of there, yes,” he assured her. He wanted the vamp speed available just in case. 

“Elena?” Jenna asked worriedly as she watched her.

“What?” Elena asked with a cold look.

“Are you okay?” she asked again. 

“Perfect. Why wouldn’t I be?” 

Damon winced at the cold tone of her voice and how much she sounded like Katherine right now. He was letting her go for the moment and waiting until the ten minutes were up to try talking her back if she didn’t come back on her own. He walked over and leaned against the back wall to wait. “Don’t bother trying to find Elena in there,” Damon told them. 

“And why shouldn’t they?” Elena asked with a smirk. “I’m still Elena. Just a better version.” 

“The fact that you think that is proof that you’re not,” Damon said sadly, glancing at his watch. Five minutes to go. 

“Just because you’re too weak to stomach giving up your humanity doesn’t mean you can force other people to be the same,” she told him. 

“It’s not weakness, Elena. It’s strength,” he told her. Apparently he was getting into this now anyway. “Taking it all away is easy. Feeling it. All the pain and grief and sadness and guilt…that’s what makes you strong.” 

“Keeping people alive who can be a liability to you is weak,” Elena snapped. “You should have killed the sheriff the moment she found out your secret. It’ll get you killed.”

“Maybe. But I’ll die with a clear conscience,” he told her. “I’d rather that than not have a conscience at all.” 

“Ten minutes are up,” Jeremy said from outside. He’d used the stopwatch feature on his phone. 

Just as he said the words, Elena’s eyes closed again before she opened them again and stumbled, tears welling up. Damon rushed forward and caught her before she fell. “Oh god,” she said brokenly as the tears started to leak out. “That was awful.”

Damon hugged her close. “I know, baby,” he whispered. When he heard the bar of the door moving he looked up and said, “Not yet, Ric.” He heard it go back into place. “She might be faking. No humanity makes you very manipulative.” 

“How do we know for sure?” Jenna asked. 

“Easy,” Damon smirked and kissed her. Elena’s arms wrapped around his neck as she kissed him back passionately. He’d kissed her when she was without her humanity before. Even when she was trying to fool him. He knew the difference. When he pulled back, he smiled at her, and brushed a hand down her cheek. “Okay, we’re good. You can let us out now.” 

“You’re sure?” Ric asked worriedly. 

“Positive.” When the door opened, they stepped out. “Just one more thing to test. Hop on one foot,” he told Elena. 

She grinned at him. “Not gonna happen.” 

“Perfect,” Damon grinned back. “Now. Let’s head upstairs and talk things out.” He reached over and undid Liz’s cuffs and she massaged her wrists as she let them lead her up. As they were passing the front door, she tried to make a run for it, only to find Damon blocking her from the door. “Nice try, he chuckled. “But I can move faster than you can see.”

Liz sighed and let herself be led back to the living room. “This is all pointless you know,” she told him. “I’m not going to believe you about the whole future thing without proof.” 

“I know,” Damon told her. “Which is why I need to make a quick call.” He pulled out his phone and called Bonnie, careful not to use names. “Hey, I’m sorry to call so late, but we have a bit of an emergency and I could use your help.”

“What’s wrong?” Bonnie asked worriedly. 

“I need to borrow the talisman again,” Damon told her. 

“What, now?” she asked incredulously. 

“If you don’t mind. We can only hold the sheriff prisoner for so long before someone notices,” Damon said wryly. 

“The sheriff!” Bonnie gasped. “You’re kidding.” 

“Wish I were,” Damon sighed. 

“You’re going to out us to the sheriff and you expect me or Grams to go along with this?” 

“No. Not you. Just me,” he told her. “I’ll meet you outside if you can bring it over or I can ask Jenna or Ric to come get it.” 

“Hang on, let me ask Grams,” Bonnie said wearily. Damon waited a few minutes before she came back. “Send Jenna to get it and she wants it back by tomorrow night and if you out us, she’ll have your head.” 

“Thank you,” Damon said sincerely before hanging up. Damon pulled Jenna aside, out of the earshot of the sheriff and whispered, “Can you go by Sheila Bennet’s house and get the talisman for me?” 

“Yeah. I’ll be back as soon as I can,” she promised before she headed out. 

Damon went back to sit on the couch across from Liz, while Elena, Jeremy and Ric went into the other room to give them some privacy for this. “Now, I think the best way to do this is just to talk as though you believe me for now and when she gets back with the talisman, I can just tell you that everything I said was the truth. That work for you?” Damon asked her. 

“Okay, fine,” Liz said, not seeing much choice. “So you’re from the future. And Elena was a vampire there too.” 

“Yes. For a while anyway,” he told her. “In my future, she didn’t turn until about a year from now. It was a similar accident. I had been knocked out with vervain and some of my blood was stolen by a doctor that was experimenting with vampire blood to heal fatal injuries. Elena had gone in with a head injury and was injected with the blood and then was in a car accident that killed her. In that future, she didn’t want to be a vampire, plus we didn’t know how to break the sire bond, so when we learned that there was a cure for vampirism we went after it and she took it.” 

“But she does want to be a vampire this time around? What’s so different?” Liz asked skeptically. 

“The way she was introduced to it. Getting attacked a dozen times by vampires and watching them kill people you cared about will give you a bit of a bias.” He turned back to Liz. “I prevented all that this time around by the way. When I’m from, this town was overrun by now.”


	53. Chapter 53

“And how many vampires are there in this town right now,” Liz asked. 

“Three including Elena. At least as far as I know. If things hold true to my future, there will be another one arriving soon, but I’m on the lookout. If she’s here already, then she’s staying under the radar.” 

“The two of you and…your brother?” she asked worriedly. When Damon nodded, she started to panic. “He’s dating Caroline!” 

“I know,” Damon smiled. “In my future they were happily married.” 

“Was she…” 

“Yes,” Damon said honestly. “She was a vampire.”

“Who turned her? Stefan?” 

“No. It was a group effort actually. She was in a bad car accident and was in the hospital dying. Elena begged me to save her life, so I agreed. I gave her some of my blood to heal her and when I left, she was fine. Then the vampire I mentioned that would be coming soon, snuck into her hospital room and killed her.”

“Why?” Liz asked heartbroken. 

“Because she’s a cruel sadistic bitch who likes playing games. It was fun for her to turn the sheriff’s daughter into a vampire. She used Caroline to screw with Stefan and myself and make us dance to her tune. You should know though, that even as a vampire, she was still herself. See, becoming a vampire enhances everything. Even your personality and it can draw out hidden aspects. Sometimes that’s a bad thing, and sometimes it’s a good thing. For Caroline, it was a good thing. It brought out a strength that no one ever knew she had. You were so proud of her,” he said with a wistful smile. “You called her extraordinary.” 

“You want her to be turned. I won’t allow it,” Liz said angrily. 

“I want her to have a choice in the matter,” Damon told her. “Just like Elena did. That’s all. I won’t ask her to turn and I will do whatever I can to prevent her from being turned this time against her will, but since Katherine turned her the second she got to town, before anyone knew she was here, I can’t make any promises.” 

“There has to be some way to prevent it,” Liz said worriedly. 

“Well…she could stay here and not leave the house until we get a bead on Katherine,” Damon suggested. “This house can’t be entered by any vampires other than us and she won’t be able to trick us into letting her in.” 

“Katherine,” Liz remembered that name. “The one who turned you?” 

“The one and only,” Damon said distastefully. 

“So she’s coming here for you?” Liz asked pointedly. 

“No. She’s coming here because she needs some things that can only be found here. Among them, a relic currently being hidden by the Lockwoods,” Damon told her. “That’s why she played so many games with Stefan and I. To keep us busy so we wouldn’t find out what she was up to and stop her.”

“And what is she up to?” Liz asked. 

“She’s gathering ingredients for a ritual to make the most evil and powerful vampire to ever exist even more deadly than he already is,” Damon told her. “Not only are the last ingredients she needs here, but the ritual has to be done here too.”

“And did she succeed in your future?” Liz asked worriedly. 

“She did. And dozens of people died. He owned this town after that for a long time,” Damon explained. 

“Then I’ll stop her,” Liz said firmly. 

Damon laughed. “You can’t handle Katherine,” he said amusedly. “She’s had a price on her head for the last five hundred years and she’s got the better of the best vampires, witches, hunters, werewolves, everything that’s come after her. She’s the consummate survivor and a brilliant tactician. For every plan she has a dozen backup plans. She is manipulative and cruel, and has no problem killing anyone and anything that stands in her way. If you try to go against her, you’ll be dead before you can blink.”

“But you can stop her,” Liz asked skeptically. 

“In a fair situation? Not a chance. But this isn’t fair. I know what she needs, where it is, how she’s going to get it, I know her plans and at least some of her backup plans. With that…maybe,” Damon told her. 

“All that and the best you’ve got is maybe?” Liz asked incredulously. 

“I told you she’s good,” Damon chuckled. “In the more than a thousand years that Klaus has been in power in the supernatural world, not one person has ever survived that he wanted dead. Except her. She’s been eluding him for five centuries. She plans to trade this ritual for a life of freedom and she will stop at nothing to get it.” 

“So what you’re saying is that this town is doomed without you?” she asked suspiciously. 

“Basically, yes,” Damon told her as Jenna returned. “Thank you Jenna,” he said as he took the amulet from her and handed it to Liz. “Take this and try to tell a lie.” When she did so and couldn’t, she handed it back to him. “Everything that I have told you tonight is the truth.”

“Including that you and I were friends even with you being a vampire?” 

“Yes,” Damon said. “In fact, you asked me to give the eulogy at your funeral. That’s how close we were.”

“I died?” she asked. “How?”

“Brain cancer,” Damon told her. “I joked with you that you were one of the only people in this town to die a normal human death instead of something supernatural.” He looked away with a sad look. “I was with you in your last moments.” 

“So I’m going to die…when?” she asked. 

“Maybe not for a long time,” Damon told her. “See, when they gave you the prognosis, Caroline was insistent on using vampire blood to heal you. Stefan and I both told her it wouldn’t work. That if vampire blood could cure cancer we would know, but she didn’t believe us. She went and found another terminal cancer patient to test it out on and it had…surprising results. It helped the symptoms for a little while. He was up and around and getting better, but then he died suddenly a few hours later and woke up a vampire, but here’s the weird part. His brain cancer was still spreading at an insanely fast rate. Within days, one of the few doctors who knew about us did some tests and said that he would be at stage ten if it existed.” 

“What does that have to do with my case?” she asked. 

“There were a few times in all the mess that happened in this town that you were seriously injured. We used vampire blood to heal you. If you only had the start of it then, the vampire blood could have made it grow faster just like it did with him. By the time it was found it was too late for you. If we can keep you away from vampire blood and hopefully get you checked to find it in time, then you have a chance.” 

“Okay. So I guess I’m going for a brain scan soon then,” Liz said. “But let’s get back to the whole Caroline becoming a vampire thing. I can’t imagine that was good for our relationship.”

“Actually, it ended up being great for it. You two got incredibly close when you stood by her side despite her changes.” 

“I still don’t want her to turn if I can help it,” Liz told him. 

“Well the offer is open for her to stay here until the threat is over,” Damon told her. 

“But you’ll still turn her if she asks,” Liz pointed out. 

“Not now, no. When Elena first asked me, I told her to wait a year. Think things over. I told her everything, good and bad, about being a vampire and even went into her mind to let her experience some of the worst parts.”

“But then she ended up being turned on accident tonight,” Liz sighed. “Okay. Caroline can stay here when the time gets close. And I’ll keep your secret unless you become a threat to people. That’s the best I can promise.” 

“And that’s all I can ask for,” Damon agreed. 

“How long until she turned before?” 

“It was on founders day then,” Damon told her. “But she might come sooner this time since I killed Isobel tonight. They were working together.” 

“Okay. I’ll get her over here as soon as possible then,” Liz promised. 

“She’s probably with Stefan right now since he’s not home. I can call him and get her here now if you like,” Damon offered. 

“That would work. Thank you,” Liz agreed. 

Damon pulled out his phone and called Stefan. “Hey Stef, have Caroline pack a bag and bring her here. She’s gonna be staying here for a while until the Katherine threat is dealt with…her mother agreed…it’s been a very long night and it’s a very long story. I’ll tell you when you get here.”


	54. Chapter 54

“How are you feeling, honey?” Jenna asked Elena once they were in the kitchen. “You said you were uncomfortable.”

“Yeah. It’s like…the colors are so much brighter. I can hear everything. I can feel power itching under my skin. I’m still so hungry. My emotions are all over the place and so much stronger than anything you could imagine,” Elena explained. 

“Well you seem to be handling it well,” Ric said encouragingly. 

“I knew what to expect,” Elena told them. “It makes it easier.” 

“But you like it?” Jeremy asked. 

Elena knew why Jeremy was asking. He still wanted to be turned too and she didn’t want to encourage him too much. “It has its good and bad points.” 

Jenna gave her a grateful look at that. She didn’t want both of them to become vampires if she could help it. “Is there anything we can do to make it easier for you?” Jenna asked. 

“Not really. Damon says I’ll get used to it in a few days.” 

“So you can hear everything they’re saying in there?” Jeremy asked. “What are they talking about?” 

“None of your business,” Elena said, partially teasing before explaining. “Damon explained how privacy is just an illusion with vampires in the house, but it’s only polite to allow the illusion and pretend.” 

“That makes sense,” Jenna agreed. “Though the fact that he could always hear everything kinda creeps me out a bit,” she chuckled. 

“Hence allowing the illusion,” Elena grinned, understanding completely. After a bit more conversation, Elena’s hunger started getting the best of her again. “I’m gonna go grab some more blood. I’ll be right back.”

Once he got off the phone with Stefan, he turned back to Liz. “I hope you know that you’re welcome to stay here for a while too. I mean, I know you’ll still be out there working and everything, but at least you’ll be able to sleep safely.”

“Safe in a house full of vampires,” she said in disbelief. 

“Vampires committed to your protection,” Damon pointed out.

Liz sighed and only the fact that she’d already allowed her daughter to stay here had her agreeing. At least she would be able to keep an eye on Caroline. “Okay. But I won’t be kept prisoner in this house.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Damon chuckled. “Grab me one too please, Elena,” she said in a normal tone.

“What…” 

“Vampire hearing,” Damon told her as Elena came in and handed him a blood bag as she sipped on her own. “Thanks,” he told her as he opened it and started to drink. 

“You’re welcome,” Elena told him as she headed back to the kitchen. 

“We’re gonna need a family meeting when Stef gets back,” he told her. 

“I guess that’s my cue to go pack a bag,” Liz said as she started to get up. 

“No, you’re family too. You need to be a part of this meeting,” Damon told her just as the door opened and Stefan and Caroline came in. 

“Mom!” Caroline said in shock as she came in. 

Stefan stopped short at the sight of Damon drinking from a blood bag right in front of the sheriff and then noticed Elena doing the same. “Long story…I think that was an understatement. Since when is Elena a vampire and how does the sheriff know?” 

Damon gave Stefan and Caroline a quick update of the events of the night while Elena went to get Jenna, Ric, and Jeremy. Once they were all caught up, they moved on. “First things first, from this point on we need to be very careful not to mention anything about time travel, future knowledge, or Katherine outside of this house.”

“Why not?” Caroline asked. 

“Because I suspect she will be around eavesdropping for a while before she makes herself known,” Damon explained. “See, in my future, she was able to believably impersonate Elena right from the start. Which meant that she had to have been watching for a while first.” 

“Impersonate her?” Liz asked. “How?”

“Before she was turned, Katherine had a child. That child was an ancestor of Elena’s. Through a freak of genetics they look exactly the same, though they are very different people. Which means, unless Elena is in this house, don’t talk to her about any sensitive information either. Sorry, baby,” Damon said sympathetically. 

“It’s okay. I understand. At least I’m not being kept out of the loop completely,” Elena said with a smile. 

“You’re afraid of her,” Stefan realized, looking curiously at his brother. Damon was never afraid of anything. 

“Yes,” he admitted. “And if you knew half of what she put us through in the future, you would be too.” 

Stefan shuddered. “If you’re actually admitting to being scared, I think I’ll take your word for it.” 

“Smart,” Damon said wryly as he turned to Elena. “Now, tomorrow or the next day at the latest, I’ll take you into the city to teach you how to live feed without hurting anyone.”   
“You don’t just use blood bags?” Liz asked worriedly. 

“Blood bags are the equivalent of stale cold leftovers. They’re good in a pinch, but not very fulfilling. Or as filling. It takes more to keep us topped off that way and too much blood going missing raises questions,” Damon explained. 

“I’ve seen people after being fed on. Even when they don’t die, I wouldn’t call that not being hurt,” Liz said accusingly. 

“You’ve seen people after being fed on by emotionless vampires who don’t care about collateral damage. They feed on the pain and fear as much as the blood,” Damon pointed out. 

“He’s fed on me lots of times before I turned,” Elena told her. “There was a bit of a sting, but that was it and he never drank much. And even before he healed me with his blood, there were just two little puncture wounds in my neck.” 

Liz looked at her suspiciously. “You’re one of them now…” she pointed out her untrustworthiness. 

“Here. You can demonstrate on me,” Jeremy offered, getting strange looks from most of the room. “What? We need the sheriff on our side don’t we? If a demonstration is what it takes, then we might as well.” 

Damon looked to Jenna who just shrugged before he looked back at Jeremy. “You sure, Jer? I’m not asking you to do this. We can find another way.” 

“I’m sure,” Jeremy rolled his eyes. If he was going to be turned one day too, he needed to know what it was like. 

“Okay,” Damon said with a shrug as he got up and walked over. “Come here, Elena. Might as well show you how it’s done while we’re at it.” Once Elena was standing next to him, Damon tilted Jeremy’s head to the side. “Right here…this vein,” he ran his fingers over it. “This is where you feed from. Now, your instinct is going to be to rip and tear, but you can fight that. Just use your fangs to make a puncture and then suck the blood out. Now, listen to his heartbeat while I do this.” When Elena nodded, Damon leaned forward and bit Jeremy’s neck, taking a good long drink before stopping. 

“You okay, Jeremy?” Jenna asked worriedly as he stumbled a bit. 

“Yeah. I’m good,” Jeremy told her. “Just got a little dizzy for a sec. It didn’t really hurt. Like Elena said, just a little sting.” 

Liz got up and inspected his neck, seeing the two small puncture wounds and no other damage, as Damon told Elena, “Did you hear his heartbeat?” 

“It started to slow down,” she said, wondering if that’s what she was supposed to be listening for. 

“Exactly. That’s how you know when to stop. As soon as it starts to change. Right after that is when the vertigo starts and the effects of blood loss are felt. You’ll be taking about as much as a normal blood donation that way,” Damon told her. 

“Okay. I can do that,” Elena said confidently. 

“It’s not going to be easy at first,” Damon told her. “That’s why I’ll be going with you. So that I can stop you and heal any damage.” 

“Are you sure it’s safe for you to leave right now?” Ric asked. “Maybe it should wait until this Katherine mess is finished. 

“Not really,” Damon answered. “But the longer we wait before she gets fresh blood the harder it will be for her to control when she does.” 

“And if you heal someone and then they die? Then there are more vampires running around,” Liz pointed out. 

“It’s a risk,” Damon admitted. “But a rather necessary one.” 

“No, it’s not,” Ric said. “Teach her with me.” 

“What? No!” Elena protested. “I could hurt you!” 

“You could hurt someone either way,” Ric pointed out. “Better that it be me. If I have to be healed, I know the dangers and have every intention of not leaving this house until the blood is out of my system.” 

Damon winced. Hurting anyone would make her feel guilty, but hurting Ric would be worse. It would be manageable though. He would give her the choice. “It’s up to you.”


	55. Chapter 55

Elena looked torn. Ric made a lot of sense, but she didn’t know if she could do this. She looked back at Damon worriedly. “Are you sure you’ll be able to stop me if you need to?” 

“Positive. The older a vampire is the stronger they are, and I’m a lot older than you. Plus Stefan can help me if needed,” he explained. 

Elena took a deep breath to steady herself. “Okay. Only if you’re really sure though Ric.” When Ric nodded and tilted his head in invitation, Elena went over, Damon right next to her and Stefan hanging back just a bit. She felt for the vein in his neck, before taking a bite, but the second the blood hit her mouth, she felt like she lost control. 

“Don’t rip,” Damon reminded gently as he saw her struggling to keep control and he put his hands on her shoulders. “Okay, stop Elena,” he reminded her. When she didn’t, he said more firmly, “Elena stop!” When she still didn’t, he forceably pulled her back as Ric tried in vain to push her away. 

Stefan managed to catch Ric before he fell and helped him to the couch. “Let me see,” Stefan told him, taking a look at the bites. “There’s a little tearing, but not too bad. Something to eat should help with the blood loss, so it’s up to you if you want healing.” 

“No, I’m good,” Ric told him. He would try to avoid the risk if possible. “It doesn’t hurt too bad.” 

“I’ll go get something for him to eat,” Caroline offered. 

Damon was still restraining Elena and trying to get her back under control as Stefan cleaned up Ric’s neck and when she did come back about the time Caroline walked out of the room, she crumpled into tears. “I’m sorry,” she cried. “I’m so so sorry, Ric.” 

Damon helped her to the other couch across from Ric and Liz as Ric replied, “It’s okay, Elena. I knew what I was volunteering for.” 

“You did good, baby,” Damon assured her. “For a first time, that was so good.” 

“How long before she can…control herself,” Liz asked worriedly as Caroline came back with a sandwich and some juice for Ric. 

“Not long. The first taste of fresh blood is the hardest,” Damon explained. “Next time will be a lot easier.” 

“I hope so,” Elena muttered miserably still casting guilty looks at Ric. 

“And how often do you need to…feed?” Liz asked distastefully. 

“At least every two days. It takes at least three or four people that way to top us off though,” Damon told her. 

“And you do this…where usually?” Liz asked. 

“I go around to the nearby cities. More people there and it’s easier to be unnoticed. I feed then erase their memories of it and they go on their way with no idea anything happened,” Damon told her. “It’s not ideal, I know, but it’s the best way.” 

Liz hated it, but he had a point. At least no one was being hurt or killed, but taking their blood without their permission wasn’t exactly a good thing. “You can’t just find volunteers like this?” 

“No,” Damon shook his head. “I mean…yes technically, but too much on one person for too long can hurt them. That’s why even when she offered I never fed from Elena more than once every couple weeks unless it was an emergency. To have enough volunteers to keep me fed without risking their health would mean letting dozens of people in on the secret of vampires. And that’s just for one of us. Imagine if all of us fed that way.” 

“How many vampires are there in the world?” Liz asked, realizing the problem. 

“Well we don’t exactly have a census,” Damon laughed. “But I would say at least thousands. Probably tens of thousands. Maybe more.” 

“And how many do you know are like you?” 

“That I know of, other than Stef and I, there are two. But keep in mind, we don’t all hang out together and I don’t actually know a lot of other vampires. We tend to avoid each other for the most part simply because too many vampires in one area draws a lot of unwanted attention.” 

“But you knew this Anna, and Isobel,” Liz pointed out. 

“Speaking of, what happened to Isobel?” Elena asked. “I didn’t want to ask before the whole bond breaking thing just in case.”

“I killed her,” Damon admitted. ”Well technically, I broke her neck and Ric killed her, but I told him to.”

“No, Damon. You said that I /could/ kill her. There’s a difference. You can’t take all the blame for that,” Ric pointed out. 

“Why would that be a bad thing?” Liz asked. “I mean…she killed Elena.” 

“She was my mother,” Elena said sadly. “My birth mother, I mean.”

“You were adopted?” Liz asked surprised and confused. “And your mother was a vampire?” 

“She wasn’t a vampire when Elena was born obviously. Vampires can’t procreate. And I didn’t even know that she’d had a child when she came to me a few years ago begging to be turned,” Damon told her. 

Liz needed to get off that subject before her head exploded. “What about the other one you knew?” 

“I knew Anna back when I was human. I was here for the original round-up at the founding of Mystic Falls. The twenty-seven vampires that were supposedly burned in the church. She managed to escape.” 

“Supposedly?” Liz asked, catching that word. 

“They were actually sealed into a tomb underneath the church to escape the fire by a witch that Katherine managed to bind to her.”

“So witches are real too? And they work with vampires?” Liz tried to wrap her head around that. 

“Yes they are real, but no. They don’t usually work with vampires. See, generally speaking, witches are good, just like generally speaking, vampires are bad. There are always exceptions of course, but overall, we tend to be enemies. Witches have a thing though where if a supernatural being saves their life at great risk to their own, and calls a life debt, they are bound to that being and have to help them.”

“So Katherine saved a witches life, so got a magical slave?” Liz asked distastefully. 

“Basically, yes. Calling in a life debt on a witch is dangerous business though. Because witches have families that are also witches and they’re not bound by the same rules. And let me tell you, you do NOT want to be a vampire that pisses off a witch,” Damon chuckled. 

“I’m guessing since you have that truth thingy that you know witches then. Is one bound to you?” Liz asked. 

“Yes to the first question, no to the second,” Damon told her. “Despite the fact that we are usually enemies, a good vampire can earn the trust of witches just like a bad witch can join with vampires. I would never dare to bind a witch to me.”

“So they trust you then.” 

“Not really. Well, one of them does. The other just tolerates me. She still threatens to incinerate me if I make one wrong move though,” Damon chuckled. 

“Speaking of B-“ Jenna started to say, but Damon vamp sped across the room to clamp a hand over her mouth. 

“No names. They don’t want to be outed to anyone else.” 

When Jenna nodded, Damon let her go and returned to Elena’s side. “Speaking of witches, they told me to remind you that they want the talisman back by nightfall.” 

Damon looked out to see that the sun was already coming up. “Thanks Jenna. I’ll make sure it’s back to them by then.”

“So unless they take the risk of binding a witch the only way to get their help is to be good enough to earn it?” Liz asked, trying to get a handle on this whole supernatural world business. 

“The only other sane way,” Damon chuckled. “There’s always threats, intimidation, blackmail, etcetera, but that’s a ridiculously stupid and suicidal move.” 

“Then they’re a real threat to vampires?” she asked, wondering how she could get some witches on her side. 

“I knew a young witch once. She had just come into her powers and had no one to teach her. After a few weeks of figuring things out on her own she was able to put me down with just a look. And set me on fire with a wave of her hand.” 

“And do you think these witches would be willing to help the council?” Liz asked hopefully. 

“No,” Damon shook his head. “Not a chance. They might be willing to help /you/ but they will never accept being outed to the whole council.”

“Can you set up a meeting with them for me then?” 

“I can ask,” Damon told her. “But that’s the best I can offer. If they say no, I’m not pushing it.”

“Scaredy-cat,” Jeremy teased, pulling chuckles from the rest of the group as Damon threw a pillow at him.


	56. Chapter 56

“Okay, I think I’m full up on information for now, and thank god it’s Sunday and I don’t have to be at work today. Why don’t you show me to a room and we can all get some rest,” Liz said wearily. 

“I second that,” Jenna added, getting nods from everyone else. 

“Okay, just a quick reminder, Caroline you’re confined to this house until Katherine is dealt with. You have mono or something. Elena will get your homework, and no one mention anything about this outside of this house and remember Katherine can impersonate Elena,” Damon gave a quick overview before they all broke up. 

Stefan took Liz to find a room. She would go home and pack a bag later. “I’ll get everyone else rooms and meet you in our room?” Elena suggested to Damon, wanting confirmation that they were still officially moving in together. 

Damon smiled brightly. “Jer already has a room here, but you can find a room for Jenna and Ric. I’m gonna go ahead and take the talisman back just in case we oversleep, but I’ll meet you in /our/ room when I get back.” 

Elena nodded happily and kissed him before he headed out. As they were headed up the stairs, Jenna asked, “/Our/ room?” 

“Yeah. I guess I didn’t get a chance to tell you,” Elena blushed. “Right before all this happened, I decided that I wanted to move in with him.” 

“So it’s not just because you’ve turned?” Jenna asked. “Because you know we don’t mind you staying even though you’re a vampire now.”

Elena stopped and gave her a hug, emotions overwhelming her at the moment. She blinked the tears from her eyes as she said, “Thank you, Aunt Jenna. Really. But no that’s not why.”

“As long as you know that you always have a place with us,” Ric added, putting a hand on her shoulder, and getting a hug from the emotional new vampire too. Once she got them settled, she went to wait for Damon, but she didn’t manage. She’d been up for over twenty four hours and they had been very stressful hours, so she was out like a light before Damon got back. 

Damon got home less than an hour later, and headed straight to his room, completely exhausted, but still grinned at the sight of Elena in his bed. He stripped down to his boxer briefs and slid into bed next to her, wrapping his arms around her and she immediately shifted to his side, draping her arm over his stomach without waking up. He kissed her head and was quickly asleep. 

Damon woke up to the feel of a hand trailing over his chest and gave a happy hum as he opened his eyes and looked over at Elena, reaching his hand up to brush her cheek as she leaned into it. “That feels…” she trailed off, unable to find words.

“Touch is so much more as a vampire,” Damon reminded her in a whisper. “I’m sorry this is the first chance I’ve gotten to show you.”

“It’s okay,” she shuddered as his hand moved down over her arm. “Other things were more important.” 

“Nothing is more important than you, Elena,” he said softly, moving her her side and sliding under her shirt, pulling a sound from her almost like a purr as she attacked his lips in a searing kiss and he spent the next two hours showing her just how much better some things were as a vampire. 

Downstairs the group gathered in the kitchen as Jenna decided to whip something up for the humans in the house. None of them had eaten before they went to bed this morning. As the food was hitting the table, she said, “Someone should go get Damon and Elena.”

Stefan shook his head. “They don’t need to eat. Human food isn’t necessary for vampires.” 

“Okay, but we should really talk some more about how we’re going to handle things,” Ric suggested. 

“Right now, we should really give them some privacy,” Stefan said pointedly. 

“Oh,” Jenna realized with a blush. “Right. You can hear…never mind.” 

“What?” Liz asked confused. 

“They’re probably having sex,” Jeremy said bluntly, causing Caroline to snort water out her nose as she laughed. 

“I’m just gonna pretend I didn’t hear that,” Liz said.

“I think we all are,” Jenna agreed. 

Zach ended up joining them soon after they started eating. Once they finished eating, Liz decided to go pack a bag, and Zach asked if he could talk to Stefan so they headed to the living room. 

When Damon and Elena got downstairs, everyone save Zach was in the living room talking. “Damon,” Stefan said, jerking his head back towards the kitchen as he got up, and Damon followed him while Elena went to sit down. 

Liz came back with her bags about that point and went up to put them in her room. By the time she got back down, Damon was stepping into the room. “Good. Liz. You’re back. We need to talk.” Damon and Stefan returned and took seats. “Zach wants out. He says things are getting too sticky here and he’s leaving town. He agreed to stay for another day to give us time to find someone else to take over the deed to this place.” 

“Why can’t you just take it over?” Liz asked confused. 

“Neither of us can because we’re vampires. If we do then any vampire can get in here whenever they want. It has to be owned by a human and that human is the only one that can invite a vampire in,” Stefan explained. 

“It’s risky though, which is why I would prefer Ric, no offense,” Damon explained. 

“Why?” Jenna asked worriedly.

“My ring,” Ric guessed. 

“Exactly,” Damon nodded. 

“Ring?” Liz asked confused. 

“If anything supernatural related kills me, I’ll come back to life,” Ric told her. 

“I have one too,” Jeremy pointed out. 

“But you’re also underage and can’t own property,” Damon said amusedly. “And if you come back to life too often it can cause a psychotic break,” Damon warned. “So don’t get cocky.” 

“What are the risks exactly?” Ric asked. 

“If anyone finds out who holds the deed, they can try to force you to invite them in, which is why I’m going to have to ask you to take your ring off for a few minutes if you agree to do this. That way I can compel you not to let anyone in without permission so no one else can compel you to let them in.”

“What happens when they can’t compel me?” 

“They would probably kill you. That would make the house open again,” Stefan told him. 

“And why the ring is important,” Ric nodded. 

“Exactly. They kill you, walk away thinking you’re dead, you come back to life a little while later and they still can’t get in,” Damon explained. 

“How much of a risk is this?” Elena asked, not wanting any of them to put themselves in that kind of danger if it could be avoided. 

“Well first someone would have to figure out who owns the house, which we’re not going to broadcast outside of the people in this room. I even plan to compel the notary to forget when it’s signed over and the rest of you humans if you’ll allow it, but if not, I trust you all anyway,” Damon told them. 

“I drink vervain,” Liz pointed out. “You can’t compel me anyway.”

“I know, but you can take a few days and dry out. I would want you to wear some vervain jewelry though like the rest of them have if you do that though,” Damon told her. “Speaking of drinking vervain, we missed ours this morning,” he told Stefan. 

Stefan grimaced and nodded as he went to pour them drinks. “Me too,” Elena told him. 

“Elena, you don’t have to. It’s going to hurt. A lot,” Damon told her worriedly. 

“I know, but I don’t want to be at risk any more than you guys do,” she pointed out. Damon sighed and nodded at Stefan who brought three drinks over and Damon pulled out his vial of vervain. He put a dropper full in his and Stefan’s drinks and one drop in Elena’s. “That’s all?” she asked with her brow furrowed. 

“You have to work up to it,” Stefan advised. “Believe me, one drop is still going to burn.” 

At that they all turned the drinks back, Damon and Stefan coughing and grimacing in pain, but Elena was a lot worse. She was holding her throat and barely managed to keep it down as tears leaked from her eyes. Damon wrapped his arm around her and rubbed her back. “Shh. It’s okay baby. Just give it a few minutes and it’ll stop.” 

All the humans were shocked and horrified at the sight. To think that anyone would put themselves through that every day. To think that they would need to. Liz almost even felt bad about using vervain against vampires because otherwise they wouldn’t need to. She knew that it was needed against most of them though. 

It took a few minutes for Elena to stop gasping as she sat back up. “I think I’m okay now,” she said hoarsely. “At least I only have to do that once a day.” 

While that was going on, Ric had been thinking. “I’ll do it,” he told them. 

“And I’ll let you compel the knowledge away after,” Jenna said, getting agreements from both Jeremy and Caroline. 

Liz thought about it for a minute and said, “If you can get me some thing to wear with vervain, I’ll stop drinking it for a few days so you can compel me to forget too.”


	57. Chapter 57

It only took a few hours to get the notary over and Damon, Stefan, and Elena went to wait on the porch for it to be signed over to Ric. As the notary was leaving, Damon stopped him and looked into his eyes, “You did not sign over a deed today, you just notarized a boring will and you don’t remember anything in it.” 

When the man’s eyes glazed over and he repeated Damon’s words back to him, Damon let him go and he walked off. Stefan walked over and tested the door and when he couldn’t get past, he said, “It worked.” 

Ric smirked at them and ignored them at the door as he told the others. “So I’m thinking about having my new house remodeled. Take out this wall, a nice paint job, maybe modernize it a bit.” 

“Really Ric?” Damon asked amusedly. 

Ric laughed. “Damon, Elena, Stefan, Come in.” 

“Thank you,” Elena said with a laugh of her own. 

“Now that’s settled, let’s line up for compulsions, shall we?” Jenna went first and Damon took her and Elena into the other room. He might as well teach Elena how to do compulsions while they were at it. After Jenna took off her bracelet, he told her, “Now just look in her eyes and tell her what you want her to know, but you have to really believe it and want it to work.” 

Elena nodded and looked at her. “You don’t know who owns this house.” 

“It didn’t work,” Jenna told her. 

“It’s okay, Elena. Just try again. Focus,” Damon told her when she looked dejected. 

Elena took a few deep breaths to get her mindset right and then tried again and this time it worked. Jenna had no idea who owned the house. She put her bracelet back on and headed back to the living room, sending Jeremy in next and Damon coached Elena through it again. Then Caroline. Liz would have to wait a few days, but she promised to be careful until then. Then Ric came back and took a deep breath before taking off his ring. This one Damon did. “You will tell no one that own the Salvatore boarding house and you will not verbally invite anyone in without my permission.” 

That done, they all returned to the living room and Damon poured drinks for everyone except Jeremy, Caroline, and Elena. The sheriff was present and they were underage after all. They only stayed for a few drinks before Jenna, Ric, and Jeremy went home though, leaving the three vampires and the sheriff and her daughter. 

Not long after that, Damon and Elena headed up to their room and collapsed into bed. Elena especially couldn’t get enough of Damon like this. Between the enhanced emotions and the enhanced senses she was completely overwhelmed in the best way possible. She had barely been able to comprehend the love he felt for her in that vision he’d given her, but she could now. She felt it all the way to her bones and she couldn’t imagine ever being happier than she was right now. Once they were done…for the moment at least, they took a long hot bath together and Damon brought out the wine to drink while they were in the oversized tub. 

As Damon considered what he was about to do, he tried to will away his nerves, but didn’t completely succeed and Elena easily picked up on it. “What’s wrong?” 

“Nothing,” he told her and when she looked at him skeptically, he gave a sheepish shrug. “Nothing’s /wrong/ exactly. Just…” he took a few deep breaths as he reached down and grabbed the ring box that he’d brought in here for this. “I thought about waiting and just getting something else with the daylight enchantment, but I don’t really want to wait anymore, but we can if you would rather…”

“Wait for what?” she asked trying to interrupt his rambling and get to the point. 

“I love you, Elena, and I will love you until I take my last breath on this earth,” he said softly, opening the ring box. “Will you marry me?” 

Elena gaped at it for a moment and opened and closed her mouth a few times, trying to form words. When the words wouldn’t come, she just nodded with tears in her eyes and held out her hand for him to put the ring on before he pulled her in for a slow loving kiss. “I love you, Damon,” she breathed out. “Until I take my last breath on this earth.” She kissed him again, before turning to settle between his legs and lean back against his chest. 

Damon wrapped his arms around her and rested his head against hers, feeling happier than he ever had. Even the threat of Katherine hanging over their heads couldn’t kill his buzz right now. He’d been waiting more than six years for this moment. He’d bought the ring almost as soon as he came back in time and asked Bonnie to put the daylight enchantment on it forever ago. He’d been planning to propose when she turned all along. He’d just been intending it to be another six months away. He definitely wasn’t complaining though. He’d been ready for this for so long. 

They both sat there enjoying the moment for a while, and Damon took her hand and pulled it to his lips, kissing the ring and then her neck. “Can we get married here?” Elena asked hopefully. Maybe under that archway in the garden?” 

“I think that’s a perfect idea,” Damon agreed. “It’ll have to be after your birthday. Emancipated or not you’ll have to be eighteen first.” 

“How about the beginning of August? Then we have time for a honeymoon before school starts.” It would be weird being married in high school, but she didn’t want to have to wait another year and a half for graduation, and they were already planning to be living together anyway. 

“That sounds like a plan. We’ll sit down with a calendar soon and pick a date and get all the details worked out,” Damon told her, pressing a line of kisses over her shoulder. Elena reached her hands back to tangle in his hair as she arched back against him. “There’s something else about vampires that I never got around to explaining,” he said breathlessly. “You remember how I always reacted whenever you drank my blood?” She hummed in agreement as he kissed over her neck. “Blood sharing between vampires is very intimate.” 

She moaned and used her hands in his hair to pull his lips more firmly against her neck. “Show me,” she breathed. He sank his teeth into her neck and took a long pull of her blood and she gasped and writhed in pleasure. When he stopped drinking, she turned in his arms and kissed him passionately, before trailing a line of kisses to his neck and returning the favor as he panted for breath and he took her right there in the tub, water sloshing over the sides as they moved. 

By the time they made it back to the bed, it was almost two am and they were both ready for sleep again. By the time they woke up in the morning, Elena was almost late for school. Stefan was already gone, Caroline was still asleep since she wasn’t going to school, and Liz had already left for work, so Elena just rushed through breakfast and headed out with a long kiss at the door for Damon. It didn’t take long for someone to notice her ring when they got to school and of course, the first person to notice was Bonnie. “Wow! Congratulations!” Bonnie said giving her a hug. “I wondered if he was going to do it so soon or come see me again.” 

“You enchanted the ring I’m guessing?” Elena asked happily. 

“Months ago,” Bonnie said with a chuckle. “He wanted it to be ready just in case. Said it would be fitting for the daylight enchantment to be on the ring that you would be wearing for the rest of your lives. It was really sweet.”

“So was the proposal,” Elena said with a grin, before telling her best friend the whole story as they walked through the hall towards their first class. 

“Who else knows?” Bonnie asked. 

“No one yet,” Elena told her. “Well, I’m sure Stefan heard if he was paying attention, but he hasn’t been officially told. Caroline was still sleeping when I left this morning, so I’ll tell her later.”

“When are you gonna tell your family?” Bonnie asked, hoping she wasn’t going to be asked to keep it secret. 

“After school. I have to go by and pack up my stuff anyway. Damon’s going to meet me there so we can tell them together,” she explained as they took their seats. Over the course of the day more people noticed and by lunchtime it was all over school that Elena was engaged to Damon. If Caroline had been there, everyone would have known by second period.


	58. Chapter 58

Damon considered telling Caroline when she got up a while later, but he knew Elena would want to be the one to tell her, so he avoided the subject until it was time to go meet Elena at Jenna’s. He went inside to chat for a while and went ahead and started packing up her room, sticking with the clothes for now, not sure what all she wanted to take with her, but knowing she would at least need her clothes. He also threw her teddy bear in and loaded the boxes up in the backseat of his car. When she pulled up, he met her on the porch. He’d already told Jenna not to invite her in until he gave her the go-ahead just in case. 

When Elena walked up, his eyes first went to her finger, looking for the ring, smiling when he saw it. He pulled her into a long sweet kiss, knowing that he would be able to tell the difference between her and Katherine that way. She may have fooled him last time, but at the time he’d never kissed Elena before. Once he pulled back he opened the door and asked Jenna to invite her in before reminding her that she would never need to do that again. Elena had her hand in her pocket for the moment as they headed upstairs to finish packing her room. She wanted to wait until Ric and Jeremy got home to break the news. 

By the time they finished packing and both cars were loaded, Ric and Jeremy were home, so they headed downstairs. “So, we have news,” Elena told them with a happy smile as Damon beamed beside her. When they all looked at her questioningly, she pulled her hand out of her pocket and flashed her ring. “We’re engaged,” she grinned. 

“Awesome!” Jeremy was the first to say. “Damon really will be my brother then.” He wasn’t surprised in the slightest. 

“Are you sure about this, Elena?” Jenna asked concerned. “I mean…you’re so young.” 

“There isn’t a doubt in my mind that I’m going to spend the rest of my eternity with Damon,” Elena assured her. “Even if we weren’t soulmates,” she added both as a reminder of the fact that they were and to reassure Jenna that she wasn’t doing this just because she thought she was supposed to. 

“Then I’m happy for you,” Jenna said with a watery smile as she pulled her niece into a hug. 

“Good on you, buddy,” Ric said, clapping Damon on the shoulder. 

“Can I ask though…why now?” Jenna asked curiously. 

“Well I had the daylight enchantment put on the ring months ago. Seemed a shame to waste it,” he joked, but Jenna got the hint. He’d wanted to propose forever, and the timing just got moved up because of her change. 

“Well you have to stay for dinner so we can celebrate,” Ric told them and Jenna and Jeremy nodded, so they easily agreed. 

By the time they got home, Liz was back from work so they gave the good news to both her and Caroline at the same time. Caroline squealed happily and grabbed Elena in a hug and bounced her up and down. “Oh my god. Can I plan the wedding? Pretty please?”

Elena looked at Damon who shrugged as if to say it was up to her. “As long as you can remember that we don’t want a huge production. Just something small and tasteful.” 

“I will. I promise. Have you set a date yet?” she asked happily. 

“Not officially, but I was looking over the calendar today and was thinking August fourteenth?” she said looking at Damon questioningly. 

“Whatever you want, Elena, is fine with me,” Damon told her, wrapping his arms around her stomach. 

“Okay. August fourteenth then,” Elena told Caroline who then went off in her own little world talking about plans as Liz and Stefan laughed at her. 

“Thanks a lot, brother. Now I’m never going to hear the end of it,” Stefan teased and Caroline paused in her planning to smack him. 

“Do you have a place picked out yet?” Caroline asked as she realized she was missing a crucial piece of information. 

“Under the awning in the garden here,” Damon told her, which set her off again as she ran to grab a notebook and pencil. 

“Congratulations, you two,” Liz finally managed to get a word in. She wasn’t sold on the idea of them marrying so young. Well Elena was young anyway. They were apparently true soulmates though and not even human so she couldn’t really say anything against it. It drove home how quickly they were growing up though and her thoughts turned to Caroline and how serious she seemed to be with Stefan and she just hoped she would have her little girl for a while longer before she ended up tying the knot too. 

Over the next two weeks, there wasn’t any sign of Katherine, and Liz and Damon were giving each other daily updates. Other than Caroline who was staying secluded, everyone else was going about their normal lives, even with Damon taking Elena out to the city to feed every couple days after school. The first sign they had was when Jenna texted Elena. ‘Did you just stop by here?’ 

‘No, why?’ Elena sent back worriedly, and Damon froze as he looked over her shoulder. “Stef, we have Katherine news,” Damon said and Stefan rushed into the room from where he had been sitting with Caroline and Liz having dinner. 

‘Because someone who looked just like you was here and when I didn’t invite her in, she made an excuse about needing to go do something,’ Jenna replied. 

Damon took the phone. ‘Are Jeremy and Ric home?’ He knew better than to talk about it out loud. Not when she could still be outside listening. 

‘Ric is, but Jeremy is out with Bonnie.’

‘Okay. Bonnie can keep him safe. I’ll text her to be on the lookout. Stay inside for tonight,’ he sent back, handing the phone back to Elena and pulling out his own phone to text Bonnie. 

“What are we going to do?” Stefan asked worriedly. 

“You and I are going out for a brother’s night and see if we can flush her out,” Damon told him. “Elena, you stay here and don’t leave the house. That way we don’t risk getting mixed up.” 

“Okay. That makes sense,” she easily agreed. As much as she worried about them and wanted to be there to help, she didn’t want to get staked on accident if Katherine tried to pull a switch. 

Damon went upstairs and grabbed his stake wrist holsters and gave one to Stefan as Liz and Caroline came in. He gave them a quick update and Liz decided to go out for the night too, so the two girls were left alone. 

Elena and Caroline were both worried about their men and Caroline’s mom, but Caroline quickly had the idea to keep their mind off of it by working on wedding plans. As it got later, neither of them even bothered trying to go to bed, knowing that they wouldn’t be able to sleep until everyone got home safely. 

Liz got back around midnight and told them that she didn’t have any luck and she had stopped by the grill on the way home and Damon and Stefan were still there and didn’t seem like they had any luck either. Katherine had apparently decided that one failed attempt was enough for one night. Damon and Stefan got back around two am, still with no news so they all headed to bed. 

A few days later, Damon was waiting for Elena after school at the grill when she walked up. “Been waiting long?” she asked with a smile. 

“Not long no,” Damon told her, pulling her into a kiss. The moment their lips met he knew it wasn’t Elena and it took everything he had to keep the kiss going so she wouldn’t get suspicious. He couldn’t do much of anything with so many people here. 

“You know…I’m not really in the mood to play pool right now. Why don’t we go take a walk or something,” Katherine asked with her best Elena impersonation. She had delayed Elena by letting the air out of her tire and wanted to be gone before she showed up. 

“You read my mind,” Damon said suggestively and took her hand as they walked out. He walked them towards the woods and as soon as they were obscured by the trees, Damon had her restrained and a stake ready. 

“You kill me, Caroline dies,” she said quickly, wondering how he figured her out so quickly. 

“What?” Damon asked in shock. 

“You heard me,” she said smugly. “I have Caroline all locked up. By my count she has about a day before her injuries kill her, but it might be less than that. Who knows? You wouldn’t want to tell your brother that you got his girlfriend killed now would you?”


	59. Chapter 59

Damon cursed and snapped her neck to buy himself some time to figure this out. He tried calling Caroline first, but she didn’t answer her phone so he called Stefan, knowing he would go straight home after school as he always did when Caroline was there. “Hey Stef, are you home yet?”

“I’m just pulling in now. Why?” 

“Quick, see if Caroline is there,” Damon said worriedly. He heard the wind passing the phone and knew his brother was running through the house looking for her. 

“No. She’s not,” Stefan told him almost in a panic. 

“Damnit!” 

“Damon, what…”

“I’ve got Katherine. She told me she had Caroline and that would be dead in less than a day. Stay there, I’m bringing her with me. Call Liz.”

Damon hung up and picked Katherine up and threw her over his shoulder. Walking back to the car in the middle of town with a seemingly dead body was not a good idea, so he would have to run, which wasn’t a problem. He called Elena on his way though. “Damon, I’m sorry I’m running late. I had a flat and just got it fixed…”

“Head to the house. I’ve got Katherine. I’ll meet you there. Get Bonnie too.”

“We’ll be there,” Elena promised, grabbing Bonnie’s arm, glad that she’d stayed to help. 

Elena drove as fast as her vampire reflexes could manage while Bonnie clung to the dash and prayed that she wasn’t about to die as Elena filled her in. She knew that something had gone wrong. The plan had been to stake Katherine immediately so if Damon didn’t then he had a good reason. She pulled up in time to meet Stefan and Liz on the front porch. 

“Prove you’re you,” Stefan said firmly as she walked up. 

Elena nodded and stepped into the house freely and then came back out. “Good enough?” 

“No,” Stefan said. “Katherine apparently has Caroline which means she might have found a way into the house. 

Elena nodded and waved them in after her, heading for the kitchen and turning on the water and garbage disposal before saying, “Damon is my true soulmate and travelled back in time after his death to the moment we met.” 

Stefan nodded. “Okay. That’s good enough,” he said turning off the noise blockers and they all went back outside just as Damon ran up and dropped Katherine’s body unceremoniously on the ground. 

“She’s dead?” Liz asked worriedly. If she was dead they might never find her daughter. 

“Just for now. It was the easiest way to make sure she didn’t get away,” Damon told her before turning to Bonnie. 

“Have you learned the barrier spell yet?” He knew that he was outing her and thus her grandmother to the sheriff, but there wasn’t much choice at the moment. 

“Months ago,” she told him. “But I can’t do it in the open yet.” 

Damon nodded and took Katherine to the shed and threw her inside. “That work?” 

Bonnie nodded and chanted a spell before turning around. “It’s done. She can’t get out.” 

“You’re a witch?” Liz asked. 

Bonnie glared at Damon. “Sorry Bon-bon. It’s an emergency. It’s for Caroline.” 

Bonnie sighed. “I guess you’re right. We’re not gonna tell Grams about this though. I don’t want to see if she’d carry out her threat and put a curse on you.”

“I appreciate that,” Damon said almost amused. 

“So what now?” Liz asked. 

“Now I go inside and make a few phone calls to work on a plan while we wait for her to wake up. Whatever she does or says, don’t let her out,” he told Bonnie seriously before disappearing into the house. Bonnie got a text message a few minutes later and checked her phone as Damon was coming out of the house and she nodded at him. 

Liz asked, “How did she get her?

“I don’t know,” Damon admitted. “I wasn’t going to risk asking questions until she was secure. She’s to slippery.”

“Why would she do this?” Elena asked, tears welling up in her eyes. 

“Insurance,” Damon explained. “This is what she does. She always has an insurance policy. She puts you in a position where you have no choice but to give her what she wants.” 

“Well what does she want?” Liz asked. 

“Revenge,” Katherine said as she woke up, getting to her feet. 

“Revenge for what? We haven’t done anything to you,” Stefan said, ignoring the fact that he had accidentally gotten her caught all those years ago. She’d gotten away and apparently set the whole thing up herself anyway. 

“You turned the doppelganger. Which means that the price on my head will never go away,” she snapped. 

“How do you…” Damon sucked in a sharp breath. 

“Know?” Katherine asked sweetly. “I’m a doppelganger myself Damon. You can’t hide my own true nature from me, no matter how powerful an enchantment you use. You never were much in the brains department though,” she said condescendingly. 

“So what? You want to kill him?” Stefan asked. 

“Oh no. You see, I may not be able to trade her for my freedom anymore, but perhaps I can redirect Klaus’ anger onto someone more worthy. Let you all run for your lives and see how long you last,” she said smugly. “See, your little spell did have one effect. I may know what she is, but I can’t tell anyone.” She turned to Elena. “You should be thanking me you know.”

“Why would I do that?” Elena asked distastefully. 

“Because once poor little Caroline is out of the way, you can have the good brother,” she smirked, loving the way Damon tensed at that statement. 

“I have the brother I want,” Elena snapped. 

“Tsk tsk Elena. It’s not polite to lie. Don’t you know no one ever chooses Damon?” she said with mock sweetness. “It’s always Stefan.” She was loving the turmoil she could see in Damon’s eyes, and she caught a spark of something in Elena’s that she couldn’t quite recognize, but she knew that she was getting to them both. 

That statement brought back memories for both of them. Elena remembered watching herself push Damon away and saying ‘I care about you, but I love Stefan. It will always be Stefan’. She also remembered when Damon was dying and he told her, ‘I know you love Stefan and it will always be Stefan, but I love you’. Damon had the same memories running through his head at Katherine’s statement plus other similar ones, and he found the doubts welling up in him, despite how hard he tried to stop them. He knew that this was exactly what Katherine wanted, but he couldn’t help it. 

“You’re wrong,” Elena said confidently. That other version of herself had been wrong too. Even in the earliest memory she could see the connection that she’d had with Damon and Damon had been right when he’d said she was lying to herself. “I love Damon and it will /always/ be Damon,” she said firmly as she reached out for Damon’s hand, getting weak smile from her fiancée. 

“Just get to the point,” Liz said angrily. “Tell us what you want and where my daughter is,” she snapped. 

“But we’re having so much fun,” Katherine grinned in satisfaction. When she was met with hard looks from everyone she sighed. “Fine. If you’re gonna take all the fun out of it. I want Elena’s locket and for you to let me go. Once I’m out of town safely, I’ll text you the address where Caroline is,” she smirked. 

“Not gonna happen,” Damon told her before anyone would agree. “We’ll give you the locket as a show of good faith, then you tell us where Caroline is and once it’s confirmed we’ll let you go.” 

“And then you can stake me as soon as I’m out and take the locket back? Do I look that stupid?” Katherine asked incredulously. 

Damon knew that would be her response, and was counting on it. Then she would think that she won something when they reached a compromise. This time though it was Damon who had multiple backup plans. “Then how about this. We give the humans the locket and all the vampires will go in the house. You’re faster than we are. Once we’re inside, you get the locket, tell them where Caroline is and then you get a head start.” 

Katherine considered that for a moment before saying, “The witch goes in with you.” She was young enough that she couldn’t be powerful enough to do anything from that far away. 

Damon looked at Bonnie who nodded. She would be able to carry out her part of the plan from there. “Fine,” Damon agreed turning to Elena. “Can you give your locket to Liz?” 

Elena looked at him nervously and only the fact that she trusted him so completely and knew that he would have a plan had her taking it off and handing it over. Liz was just as nervous, and really hoped that Damon knew what he was doing. The three vampires and one witch headed towards the house and Bonnie ended the barrier spell as they got to the door. 

Katherine stuck a hand out the doorway satisfied that the barrier spell was down, and said, “The abandoned warehouse on Maple Drive, before she sped forward, snatched the locket from Liz’s hand before she could blink and made a run for it.


	60. Chapter 60

Stefan sped off out the back door the second they had the location and Katherine was almost to the treeline before she hit the ground screaming and holding her head. Liz gaped in shock at the sight and turned back towards the house to see Bonnie in the doorway glaring at the spot where Katherine was writhing. Damon blurred past her and grabbed Katherine, breaking her neck again as Bonnie ended the spell, then he tossed her back in the shed and Bonnie put the barrier back up. 

“What was that?” Liz asked in awe. 

“That was the most powerful witch in the world putting the bitch down,” Damon said smugly. “She thought that since Bonnie is young that her powers were limited. Which is exactly why I kept her close. Katherine would have expected me to keep her hidden if I could as a secret weapon, but her being right here gave Katherine the idea that she had to be nearby to keep the spell up.”

“Which is why I took it down as soon as I got to the house,” Bonnie explained to a surprised Liz and Elena. “It reinforced the idea that the further away I got the less effective I was.” 

“What if she had made it to the treeline?” Elena asked as she put her locket back on. “That was close.”

“Ric set some traps out there while we were talking to her,” Damon explained. “If she had made it that far she would have set at least one of them off giving him the chance to stake her.”

“How did you know what direction she would run?” Liz asked confused. 

“She would have taken a path that she knew would let her run at her full speed as long as possible and be in the opposite direction of the house where we were laying in wait,” Damon said smugly. “That means towards the ruins of the old Salvatore Estate which she knows by heart.” 

Elena laughed. “And she said you didn’t have any brains,” she said as she wrapped an arm proudly around his waist. 

Damon smiled and pulled her close to his side. “She always did have a habit of underestimating me.” 

“So what now?” Liz asked. 

“Now we wait for confirmation from Stefan that he has Caroline and then we stake her. Hopefully before she wakes up,” Damon told them. 

“And if she lied about where she was?” Elena asked worriedly. 

“Then I get to go to town on the bitch until she tells us the truth,” Bonnie said with a cruel grin.

About that time, Damon’s phone rang. “It’s Stefan,” he told them as he answered. 

“I’ve got her, but she’s dead,” Stefan said heartbrokenly and Elena burst into tears. 

“What?” Liz asked fearfully. 

“Bring her back here,” Damon told him sadly. 

“Don’t kill Katherine yet,” Stefan said menacingly. “She’s mine.” 

“I suppose since I got to kill her last time, I’ll give you the honors this time,” Damon said seriously as he hung up. 

“What happened?” Liz asked again frantically since Elena wasn’t really capable of words. 

“If we’re lucky, Katherine fed her some blood while she was prisoner, so don’t freak out yet…” Damon said with forced calm. 

“No…” Bonnie gasped putting her hands to her mouth as Damon pulled his crying fiancée into a hug. 

“She’s…no…she can’t be…” Liz stammered as tears leaked from her eyes and Damon let go of Elena and vamp sped over to Liz to catch her before she hit the ground and lowered her gently to sitting before crouching in front of her. 

“There is still a chance that she’ll be okay,” Damon said gently. “I know you didn’t want that for her, Liz, and I’m sorry, but at least she’ll still be with us if that’s the case.” 

“I never thought I would be hoping that my daughter became a vampire,” she sniffled. “When will we know?” 

“We should know by the time they get back. Since we don’t know how long she was dead before he got there he couldn’t tell right away.”

“How can you tell?” Bonnie asked. 

“Our sense of smell is a lot better than humans and it only takes a few minutes for us to be able to smell it if she’s not turning,” Damon explained, trying not to say the word decomposition. 

About that time Stefan sped up to them, carrying Caroline. “She’s turning,” he said before anyone could ask as he turned to take her inside. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

Liz followed him, not intending to leave her daughter’s side, leaving Damon, Elena, and Bonnie to watch over the still unconscious Katherine. She had yet to wake up when Stefan returned a few minutes later, and Damon handed him the stake as Bonnie took the barrier spell down. Unfortunately she had just been pretending to still be out and tried to make a run for it as soon as the spell was down. She didn’t get far though before Bonnie had her on the ground screaming again and Stefan rushed over and put the stake in her heart.

Once she was shriveled and confirmed dead, Damon sighed with relief. “I’ll grab Ric from the woods and we’ll take care of the body. The rest of you go wait with Caroline,” he said as he pulled Elena in for a quick kiss. 

As they walked back in, Liz was on her way down the stairs. “She’s awake,” she told them. 

“I’ll get the blood,” Elena told her. “You and Stefan should be with her.” Liz nodded and headed back up. Elena grabbed some blood for herself too while she was down there. She was hungry enough that smelling Caroline’s blood would be hard for her. When she got back up there, she asked Caroline, “Are you sure you want to do this?” 

“I’m sure,” Caroline told her, holding her hand out for the blood. She had been waffling on the idea of being turned after how Stefan talked about it, but Damon and Elena liked it well enough and she wasn’t against it enough to prefer death right now.

Elena handed her the blood and started sipping her own as Caroline drank hungrily and Liz looked away with a grimace. Bonnie was used to it enough with Elena to not be phased. They stayed with her for another hour before Damon and Ric joined them. “We should go ahead and get her access while Ric is here,” Damon said. Since she had turned inside the house she was okay for now, but as soon as she stepped outside she wouldn’t be able to get back in. 

Once Ric had officially invited Caroline in, Bonnie said, “I should get home before Grams pulls out the locator spells.”

Damon nodded and pulled her into a hug. “Thank you, Bon-bon. For everything.”

“Anytime Damie,” she said with a chuckle as she hugged him back. 

“I’ll drive you to your car,” Elena offered since they’d left her car at school and they both headed out. 

“You doing okay, Caroline?” Damon asked as he sat down on the bed. 

“Sort of. I’m hungry again though,” she told him and Damon handed her another bag of blood that he’d grabbed on his way in. 

“I’ll take you out and teach you how feed tomorrow,” he promised. 

Caroline nodded. She intended to stick with the blood bags mostly, but she remembered what he’d said about waiting too long for the first taste of fresh blood. “Teach her with me,” Liz said nervously. 

“Mom, no,” Caroline protested. 

“Stefan and Damon are here to heal me if needed and I don’t have to be at work tomorrow so I can stay safe. Let me do this for you, sweetie. Please,” she told her. 

Caroline looked at her boyfriend and his brother. Stefan just shrugged so Damon said, “Up to you, Caroline. We’ll stop you if we need to.” 

Caroline took a deep breath and nodded, so Damon gave her the same tutorial he had given Elena without the demonstration. They were glad that Liz hadn’t started drinking vervain again now that she had her ankle bracelet so her blood was clear. Caroline took a few deep breaths before taking a bite. She managed to stop herself as soon as Stefan said, “Caroline stop.” 

Liz shuddered when she stepped back, but had to admit that they had told the truth. It wasn’t more than a slight sting and she was barely woozy. It was only her subconscious revulsion to being fed on that was acting up now. She didn’t ever want to do it again, but she was glad that she’d been able to help Caroline this time. 

Damon chuckled and clapped Stefan on the back. “See? I told you you she would be the most controlled vampire in existence.” 

“Well she is a control freak so I guess it makes sense,” Stefan teased her and got smacked for it, making Liz laugh. 

“Does this mean we can go home now?” Liz asked hopefully. 

“It would be best if she stuck around for a few more days while she adjusts,” Stefan told her.

Liz looked at Damon for confirmation that Stefan wasn’t just saying that to get more time with his girlfriend living under his roof, and Damon nodded. He would have covered for his brother either way though, but it was enough for Liz who said, “Okay. A few more days it is then. She’ll be good to go back to school on Monday though, right?” Both of them nodded. 

“Now that’s settled, how did she get you?” Damon asked curiously. When he saw Stefan and Liz both looking at her for an answer to that question he knew that they hadn’t asked yet. 

Tears welled up in Caroline’s eyes as she admitted, “I was stupid. I thought I would be safe if I stayed close to the house. I went out to check out the garden for the wedding plans and the next thing I knew I woke up in that warehouse.” No one saw the need to chastise her for it since she was obviously beating herself up enough and the danger was over now anyway, so Damon just patted her knee as he left Stefan and Liz alone with her.


	61. Chapter 61

When Elena got home, she found Damon staring into the fire melancholically swirling his drink around in his hand. She walked over and ran her arm over his back as she sat down beside him. “You okay?” she asked. 

“I’m fine.”

Elena frowned. “No you’re not,” she said matter-of-factly. She could tell that by his entire demeanor. From his tone of voice to the set of his shoulders, the look in his eyes, and the way he was swirling his drink instead of drinking it, not to mention he fact that he hadn’t even looked at her. “What is it?”

“I’m just being stupid,” he admitted with a sigh. “I know I shouldn’t let Katherine get to me like that.”

“Is this about what she said about me and Stefan?” Elena asked worriedly and Damon nodded. She reached her hand to his cheek and turned him to look at her. “I chose you, Damon, and I will always choose you. No matter what.”

“Only because I rigged it from the start this time. If I had let things play out…”

“And if I remember correctly, the only reason I was with Stefan first last time is because you compelled me to forget our first meeting,” Elena told him. “So you rigged it against you last time.” 

“Still…you hated me for so long…”

“No I didn’t,” Elena cut him off. 

“You can’t know that,” he said. 

“Yes. I can,” Elena said seriously. “You showed me the memories and I know myself. Even in that first one where you were drunk and upset and kissed me against my will, I could see how drawn I was to you. I may have tried to hate you, but I never did.” 

“She was right when she said that everyone always choses Stefan.” 

“Not everyone,” she said as she kissed him softly. “I didn’t. And the only reason I did last time is because you pushed me away. First by making me forget you and then by your actions after that. As soon as I saw the real you, Stefan never had a chance. Then or now. You’re my soulmate, Damon.”

“And if I hadn’t told you that…”

“My heart would still know it,” she assured him. “There’s a reason I never doubted it when you told me and I’ve never doubted it a day since. I already loved you then and I love you even more now, and I will still love you in a thousand years. We will /always/ find our way to each other,” she reminded him. 

Damon huffed a laugh as he realized she was right. “Even if you lose your memories and think I’m a monster.”

“And even if I end up in a sixty year coma,” she added with a smile. “No more doubts,” she ordered playfully bopping him on the nose with her finger. 

“Yes ma’am,” he chuckled pulling her into a kiss. “I love you, Elena.”

“I love you too,” she said happily. “Now let’s go to bed.” Damon tossed the last of his drink back and they headed upstairs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this one is short, but I'm going to be away for a few days so I wanted to give you what I have so far.


	62. Chapter 62

The next few weeks were spent with helping the new vampires adjust to vampirism. Especially Caroline, but Elena had been a vampire for less than a month too. While a lot of it was done by their significant others, Caroline had to join Damon and Elena to feed. She went the first few times at least, but once she was sure that she would be able to control herself if the situation came up in the future, she switched almost exclusively to blood bags, surprising everyone except for Damon. She did try Stefan’s animal blood diet at least, but it wasn’t for her. 

During that time Liz became more of the friend that Damon remembered from his future, and a little earlier this time since she found out about him sooner and he was more deserving of her friendship sooner. She and Caroline did move back home after the first few days, but Caroline still spent half her nights at the boarding house anyway, and Liz was a frequent visitor, along with Ric and Jenna. Jeremy still had his room there too that got plenty of use. Since Elena had moved in, Bonnie was also there often and the three girls that had been best friends since first grade had their friendship strengthened even more by their entry into the supernatural world. 

When the girls were together, wedding planning had a tendency to take center stage and Damon didn’t do much more than just nod and agree to whatever he was asked. Anything less would have brought the wrath of Caroline anyway. The invitations went out at the beginning of April, giving them four months notice. Damon thought it was overkill, but knew better than to say anything about it. Unfortunately, there were people who either weren’t aware or didn’t care about the schism in the Gilbert family and it didn’t take long after that for John Gilbert to show up on their doorstep. 

Damon was the one to answer the door and his eyebrows rose when he saw who was standing there. “Well, look what the cat dragged in. See, I thought the deal was that you stay out of town.” 

“That was before I found out that you intend to marry my daughter,” John snapped, not realizing that Elena was there and could hear every word since she kept out of sight. “If it costs me my life, so be it, but I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t do everything possible to protect her from you.”

Damon sighed heavily and stepped back from the door, letting him in and John followed warily. Being inside wasn’t any different than being outside after all. This place was in the middle of nowhere. “And you just did the one thing that ensures your safety from me,” Damon said irritated. 

“What’s that?” John asked suspiciously. 

“Put Elena’s well being before your own,” Damon told him. 

John scoffed. “You realize that if outing you is what it takes to get you away from her, I’ll do it. And before you reconsider killing me, know that if I die, the information is set to be released anyway. If you agree to leave town though, and not come back, I’ll keep it to myself,” he said smugly, glad to have the shoe on the other foot now. 

“And /you/ realize that outing me means outing her now too,” Damon pointed out. 

“You turned her?!” John asked angrily as he lunged at the vampire. “How dare you!?

Damon easily avoided his attack and pinned him against the wall. “I did no such thing. You can blame your little vampire girlfriend for that,” Damon snapped. 

“Isobel would never…she hated the idea of Elena being a vampire. She wanted her away from you as much as I did for just that reason,” John said disgustedly. 

“Maybe that’s why she killed me,” Elena said heatedly as she walked into the room. “But what she would have known if she’d bothered to ask, was that Damon had to heal me the night before so his blood was already in my system when she did.” 

John deflated at that and when Damon saw that he wasn’t fighting anymore, he let him go. “I’m so sorry, Elena,” John said sadly as he walked towards her. Both of them saw the stake come out of his sleeve at the same time and Elena was faster than Damon and had him laid out on the floor with one punch. Damon was right behind her though and it only took a few seconds for him to be tied up in a chair as they tried to decide what to do with him. 

Before they could come to a decision, the front door opened and Liz called out, “Damon are you here?” 

“Living room!” Damon called, not at all worried about the sheriff seeing the tied up man with them. 

“You should know that people are starting to ask questions about blood disappearing from the nearby blood banks…what’s he doing here? And why is he tied up?” Liz asked as she stepped in. 

“You know?” John asked disgustedly. “And you’re helping them? You’re supposed to be the one keeping this town safe from these creatures!” 

“Yeah, he showed up to stop the wedding and tried to stake Elena when he found out that she was turned,” Damon explained. “We were trying to figure out what to do with him when you got here.” 

Liz nodded, not weighing in on that question just yet, and choosing to address John’s issues first. “Yes, I know and I am keeping this town safe. Damon is just as committed to that as I am. He’s helped to save this town multiple times from other vampires. I’m helping him because he’s a good man, vampire or not.”

“He’s got you brainwashed,” John protested. 

“No,” Liz told him, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. “He doesn’t. I still wear vervain, and it’s bound to me so that no one but me can take it off. He can’t compel me.” She left off the part about unless she allowed it. She knew that wouldn’t help their case. 

“He’s a killer, Liz!” John told her. “And he’s turned my daughter into one too!” 

Liz did roll her eyes this time. “Damon, how many people have you killed since you came back to this town? Here or elsewhere?” 

“None,” Damon said. There had been the doctor at Whitmore, but that was self-defense so he wasn’t counting it. 

“Elena? How many people have you killed?” Liz asked. 

“None,” Elena told her, knowing that she was asking for John’s sake and not because she was suspected of anything. “And I’ve only ever /hurt/ one person before I learned to control my bloodlust.”

“And that person volunteered and knew the risks,” Damon pointed out. “And I was standing by to heal him if it was needed.” 

“And you actually believe all that?” John asked Liz incredulously. 

“Yes. I do, John. Because I have /evidence/ of it,” she assured him. “I’ve seen Damon fight for this town with my own two eyes. The ones that I haven’t seen him kill personally, I’ve seen evidence of their deaths. He’s killed dozens of vampires to protect us since he got back to town. I’ve also found no evidence of any suspicious deaths, injuries, or disappearances in town or the surrounding area, and believe me, I’ve looked.” 

“So you expect me to believe that there are good vampires? Even Isobel became a monster once she turned,” he snapped. 

“Because she chose to be,” Damon told him. “Vampires have the ability to turn off their humanity, but not all of us do.”

“Then why would she?” he asked suspiciously. 

“Because turning it off is the easy way,” Damon told him. “It’s easier to survive on blood if you don’t have to feel the guilt of every person you hurt. Or to have to go to the trouble of stealing blood from blood banks to survive. Or to keep tight enough control not to hurt anyone on accident. It’s easier to not have to feel the loss every time a mortal you care about dies or you have to move away from your friends because people notice you’re not aging.”

John was a bit taken aback at that. It made sense, but how could he trust them? “But you haven’t?” he asked skeptically. 

“Oh, I did once. For a while. And getting it turned back on was a long hard road, but I had people who cared about me enough to push the matter, and once I got it back, I vowed to never lose it again. Because while it may be easier…it’s not worth it. That pain and guilt that you’re trying to escape just comes crashing back even worse afterwards.” 

“But if you kept it off…”

“Then I would be a true monster and I refuse to live that way,” Damon told him. That had been true even before he came back in time. Before he met Elena. As much as he tried to push those feelings away and ignore them, going the route of turning them off was never an option for him. Not after what he’d done last time. He would have rather died that be like that again. He wanted to feel every death. /Needed/ to feel it. It had been the only way he could feel alive. 

“It’s an awful feeling,” Elena chimed in. “I mean, it feels amazing while it’s off. Like nothing matters and you’re completely free, but when you get it back, it’s horrible.”

“You…” John gaped at her. “But…”

“I had no choice but to turn it off for a little while. The why’s are personal, but it was necessary. It was only for about ten minutes and Damon kept me locked up so I couldn’t hurt anyone until I was back, but yes, I know how it feels now, and I can agree that it’s not an option for either of us, ever,” Elena told him. 

“And you really trust them?” John asked Liz desperately, looking for some kind of solid ground right now. 

“I trust them with my life,” Liz told him. “And it’s been put to the test more than once.” 

“Now can you accept that or do we still need to figure out what to do with you?” Elena asked, tired of trying to defend herself to the father who never cared. 

“I…can try,” John said hesitantly. 

“Good enough,” Damon said with a nod before Elena could say anything. He remembered this man sacrificing his life to save his daughter in the future not to be. He remembered the letter he’d left saying that he would love and support her, vampire or not. He deserved this chance, but if he blew it again, Damon would see to it that he regretted it. “You’re not staying here though. I’m not taking the risk of being staked in my sleep.” 

Elena looked at Damon in shock and a little bit of betrayal at his acceptance of John’s half-hearted answer, but nodded in satisfaction at his condition. “Me either,” she added, given that he’d just tried to stake her anyway.


	63. Chapter 63

Once they untied John, Liz got back to the reason for her visit. “People have noticed blood missing from all the blood banks around Mystic Falls.”

“We’ll start going farther away for a while, then,” Damon promised. “We’re stocked up for a few weeks though, so it’s nothing to worry about right away.” 

“We were going to take a trip to look at colleges when school ends, so we can use that to stock up too so we’ll only have a few weeks in between to worry about,” Elena pointed out. 

“You’re still going to college?” John asked hopefully. 

“Nothing is set in stone, but I’m not giving up on the idea yet,” Elena told him. If she could go to high school as a married woman, nothing was stopping her from going to college that way too. 

“And you?” John asked Damon. 

“Oh no,” Damon held up his hands amusedly. “College is not for me.”

“He hasn’t ruled out taking a few classes though if he finds something interesting,” Elena pointed out, reminding him that he promised to think about that much.

“Maybe,” Damon said noncommittally before turning to Liz to avoid the subject. “You staying for dinner? I can whip something up.”

“Nah, that’s okay,” she told him. “I should get home.” She always felt bad when he went to all the trouble of cooking just for her and other than John she was the only one here who needed to eat human food. He usually only cooked when everyone got together. 

“I guess I should head out too,” John said uncomfortably and he and Liz left together. 

“What was that about?” Elena asked once they were alone. 

“What do you mean?” Damon asked, pulling her into his arms. 

“Accepting that whole ‘I’ll try’ line?” she said pointedly. 

“Last time around he knowingly sacrificed his life to save you. Promised to love you whether you were human or vampire,” Damon told her, kissing her head. “That earns him a chance this time around.”

“So you just expect me to forgive him? For everything?” Elena asked incredulously, leaning against him.

“Not at all,” Damon assured her, sitting on the couch and pulling her across his lap as she snuggled up to him. “That’s your choice and I would never dream of taking that choice away from you. I’m just giving him the opportunity to earn it.”

“And if he turns on us again?” she asked as she traced her fingers over his chest. 

“Then he will wish he never heard the name Damon Salvatore,” Damon said clearly. 

“Good,” Elena nodded against his shoulder. They cuddled on the couch for the next few hours before they headed upstairs. 

For the next few days, John followed Damon around, trying to be stealthy. Once Elena was off at school, every time Damon left the house John was on his trail. Damon noticed and found it more amusing than annoying. He had nothing to hide after all and if John Gilbert wanted to waste his time trying to sneak up on a vampire, he was more than welcome to do so.

That Friday afternoon, Damon was walking around the woods, enjoying the game of cat and mouse before he went to meet Elena at the grill, when suddenly he knew no more. When he woke up, he almost thought that John had called in some backup. He had known exactly where the other man was, and knew there hadn’t been any other humans nearby, but John had been known to work with other vampires before. Then the door opened and the person who walked through blew that thought out of the water. “Klaus…” he breathed out fearfully before hating himself for it. 

“Oh good. That means we can dispense with the introductions,” Klaus smirked. “Did you really think I wouldn’t find out?” 

“Find out what?” Damon played stupid. 

“Your witches are good, I’ll give them that, but I have more of them. Granted, they weren’t able to break the spell, but they were able to exempt me from it once I realized what was going on. It was rather odd how every once in a while I would suddenly remember important information only to forget it again soon after.” 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Damon tried again, knowing that admitting that he’d known was as good as a death sentence. For him and probably everyone else too. 

“Elena Gilbert is a doppelganger,” Klaus said bluntly. “And you turned her, making her useless to me.”

“No. I didn’t. Someone else turned her,” Damon protested. 

Klaus got up close and looked into his eyes, turning on his compulsion power. “Tell me the truth.”

“I am telling you the truth,” Damon snapped. 

“You’re on vervain,” Klaus realized angrily. “Fine. We’ll just have to do this the hard way. Bring him,” he gestured to two other vampires with him. 

Damon was dragged down a hallway to a large open room that seemed to be off the entryway of wherever he was. He forced himself not to wince when he saw the bear traps hanging from the ceiling, knowing what was coming. He knew better than to fight though. He wouldn’t have a chance until they let their guard down. The two brutes he could easily escape, but not Klaus. Best case scenario he would just be leading Klaus right to Elena and he would die right here before he let that happen. 

He couldn’t stop his wince as both of his hands were caught in the traps, pulling him up on his toes to try and take some of the pressure off. He glared at the look of amusement on Klaus’ face. He was obviously planning to have fun with this and Damon knew he was right when another vampire wheeled in a cart with various instruments of torture on it. “Now if you simply admit what you’ve done, I would be willing to discuss killing you quickly,” Klaus told him as he picked up a barbed cat o’ nine tails. 

“I didn’t do anything,” Damon said firmly, bracing himself for what was coming and managed to not cry out as he felt both his shirt and his flesh split open. 

“Then who was it that commissioned the spells to hide her if not the vampire who fell in love with her?”

“I asked for spells to keep her protected and hidden, but just because I was worried about people coming after me and using her to get to me,” Damon partially lied only to get another lash with the whip, this time pulling a slight whimper from him. 

“I don’t believe you,” Klaus told him. “You hid her and then you turned her.”

“I wasn’t the one that turned her,” Damon told him again, getting another lash with the whip that knocked him off his feet, and between that and the way the bear traps ripped and pulled at his wrists he cried out in pain. 

“Then who did?” Klaus asked. 

“Isobel Flemming,” Damon gasped out. “She was working for Katherine Pierce.” 

“Is that so?” Klaus asked curiously, not whipping him this time. “And where can I find them?” 

“Their ashes are in the tomb under the old church in Mystic Falls. I killed them,” Damon told him. 

“IF that’s true, then it would seem that I owe you. But don’t think I’m simply going to take your word for it,” Klaus told him. 

“Of course not,” Damon muttered in irritation. He hoped that no one came after him, but knew it was just wishful thinking. He at least hoped that Klaus had managed to get his answers and leave before they did though. He wasn’t going to risk him being after them again this time. He didn’t want to put Elena in Klaus’ path. 

Elena got home, more than a little worried that Damon had stood her up, and was even more worried when he wasn’t at home either. Her first call was to Stefan, but he and Caroline hadn’t seen him, so she tried Bonnie who hadn’t seen him either. The sheriff was concerned, but had to remind her that he couldn’t be declared missing for forty eight hours and even then she wasn’t sure if it was a good idea given the whole vampire issue. Elena had to admit that she was right, so instead just tried to figure out where he could be. 

By the time Stefan and Caroline got there later that night, and Damon still wasn’t back yet, they started getting worried as well and agreed that if he wasn’t back by morning, they would start searching. None of them slept much that night though. The next morning, Elena thought to call John and so help her if he did anything to Damon she would kill him herself. “Where is Damon?” she asked as soon as he answered the phone, before he could even say anything. 

“I don’t know,” John told her honestly and more than a little afraid of the tone in her voice.

“What DO you know?” she asked dangerously. 

“I was following him through the woods yesterday when he gave me the slip. That’s the last I’ve seen of him,” John told her. “Maybe he started getting cold feet? Or decided to make a run for it before he ended up being outed?” he suggested. 

“He wouldn’t have,” Elena snapped. “If he was going to run he would have taken me with him and he wouldn’t get cold feet.” 

“He is a vampire, Elena…”

“And you have no idea what that even means in this situation,” she said angrily. “Now either come help find him or stay away from me.” 

“I’ll be there soon,” John said wearily. There was nothing else he could say to that. Not if he didn’t want to lose his daughter forever. He was more than a little curious about what she had meant though, but knew better than to ask right now.


	64. Chapter 64

Over the next three days, Stefan, Caroline, Elena, Liz, John, and Ric searched high and low for Damon, leaving Jenna and Jeremy at the boarding house in case he came back and to help pour over maps and search the internet for any clues, including abandoned buildings, foreclosed houses, and so on. Bonnie stayed at the boarding house too, but spent her time doing locator spells, messaging spells, protection spells, and anything else she could think of that might help. Jeremy kept having to stop her and make her rest whenever her nose started bleeding. 

While they were searching, Damon was spending most of his time being tortured and bled out as Klaus asked him question after question. Damon steadfastly avoided answering any questions that could lead him to Elena or let on about his time travel or even lead him to the rest of the family. He knew that the vervain was out of his system by the second day. He could feel it. It was just Klaus’ sadistic nature that kept him there for longer. 

At the end of the third day, Klaus finally got bored with him and went to compel him again. “Who turned Elena Gilbert into a vampire?” he asked. 

“Isobel Flemming,” Damon didn’t resist the compulsion. 

“Why?” 

“I don’t know,” Damon said honestly. He had ideas and theories that were probably correct, but since he didn’t know for sure, then he could say so around the compulsion. 

“What do you know?” Klaus asked. 

“She was working for Katherine,” Damon told him. 

“And what happened to Isobel and Katherine?” Klaus asked. 

“I killed them,” he said. “Their bodies were burned in the tomb under the church.” 

Klaus let him go from the compulsion at that. “Well. It seems you were telling the truth all along. And it also seems that I owe you the bounty on Katherine Pierce.” Klaus left the room at that and came back with an envelope. “Never say that I don’t live up to my promises,” he smirked as he put the envelope in the pocket of Damon’s ruined jeans. “But still…a little reminder of who has the power, just in case you get it into your head to come after me…” He pulled up his compulsion power again. “You will kill your favorite human the next time you see them and you won’t remember this compulsion until then.” 

Once Damon came back to himself, forgetting all about the last compulsion, he snarked weakly, “So what now? You just let me go?” 

“More or less. I’m sure you’ll be found soon enough once I’m gone and my witches stop cloaking this place,” Klaus said. “Unless of course, they’ve already given up on you, but oh well. Not really my problem.” He turned and walked out, leaving Damon hanging there flayed alive. Since he was out of blood he wasn’t even healing right now and could feel the beginning stages of desiccation setting in. 

As Klaus left, Damon took a few deep breaths for calm. Being left here like this, starting to desiccate and being completely helpless was more than a little terrifying, but he knew that the wouldn’t have been forgotten about. Even if everyone else had, Elena wouldn’t have. She would find him. Bonnie was probably doing locator spells at least once a day. He knew she couldn’t pull them off nonstop. She wasn’t quite that powerful, but she wouldn’t have given up on him either. Worse case scenario he had a day. Maybe a little longer before someone came for him. He just hoped that Klaus was clear before they got here and that he wasn’t laying in wait somewhere. That would be a nightmare. 

He wasn’t sure how long Klaus had been gone when he felt his pocket swell with what felt like a crinkled paper and he smiled. He may not be able to read it right now, but he knew what it was. Bonnie had sent him a message which meant that she could find him now. If he had to guess, he would figure the message said something along the lines of telling him to hold on and that help was on the way. The hope that welled up in him overpowered his good sense as he realized when the door burst open and people flooded in. 

When the smell of humans reached him, his bloodlust flared. He was far too starved at the moment. Stefan ran straight over to try and get him down as everyone else froze in the doorway, horrified at the sight. Not only was he hanging limply covered in blood, clothes and flesh ripped open, but the floor and walls were covered in blood and bits of flesh as well. “Get them out of here,” Damon croaked weakly at his brother before he could get him unhooked. “Don’t let me down yet.” 

Stefan paused and winced, realizing the problem. “Okay all humans need to go get back in the cars.”

“What? Why?” John asked, actually feeling pity for Damon at the moment and wondering if it was pride that had him trying to get rid of them. 

“Because he’s been bled out and starved,” Stefan snapped. “Unless you want to torture him even more by being here or worst of all ending up killing one of you when he loses control, you need to get out of here.” 

“Come on,” Liz said, grabbing Johns arm as Ric grabbed the other one, all but dragging him out. Part of John wanted to tempt Damon. To get Elena to see him as the monster he was. He knew better though and didn’t fight leaving. 

That argument got Elena moving and she started to rush towards Damon, but Stefan stopped her. “Elena, go grab the cooler of blood out of the car.” He knew that Damon wouldn’t her to see him like this more than was necessary, but she wasn’t likely to leave, so he gave her a job and Caroline rushed over to help Stefan get Damon down at least before Elena got back. 

Once his arms were free, Damon fell to the floor weakly, slipping in the blood and almost pulling Stefan and Caroline down with him. As he hit the floor, Elena was running back in with the cooler and handed him a blood bag which he had drained by the time the second one was open. Six blood bags later and he felt like he was under control again. He was back to the normal burning hunger that signaled that he was full. He would still be weak for at least a few days while he worked his system back up though. 

Stefan threw one of Damon’s arms over his shoulders while Elena shooed Caroline out of the way to get his other arm as they helped him out to the cars. Stefan and Elena got Damon in the back of the one that Liz and John were in while Caroline got in with Ric and they headed back for the boarding house. “Is he safe?” John asked warily, glancing back at Damon. 

“I wouldn’t have gotten in this car if I wasn’t under control now,” Damon said weakly, but still with irritation laced in his voice. 

“Are you okay, Damon? What happened?” Liz asked worriedly. 

“I’ll live. I’d rather only tell it once though.” 

“And you should probably get cleaned up and get some rest first,” Stefan pointed out. “Unless there is a danger we need to be aware of right away?” 

“I don’t think so, but I don’t want to take any chances. Just let me get home and cleaned up and then I’ll give the short version,” Damon promised. 

Elena didn’t even have the ability for words at the moment, she just leaned against Damon’s side and laced her fingers with his, soaking in his presence. She didn’t even care about the blood that was smearing all over her in the process and couldn’t even say a word all the way home. At least the blood he’d drank had allowed the worst of his wounds to heal or she would have been worse off. 

The rest of the drive was spent in silence and Stefan and Elena helped Damon inside and upstairs where Stefan left. Elena helped Damon out of his ripped and bloodsoaked clothes and then ran a bath. She knew that a shower would be better, but doubted that he could stand up for that long. Once he was in the tub, he felt the tension start to flow from his body, and leaned into every touch as Elena lovingly helped to wash the blood off of him, draining the red water twice before he was clean. 

About halfway through, Elena couldn’t hold back her tears anymore and let them fall, only for Damon’s hand to reach up and catch them. “I’m okay, baby,” he assured her softly. 

“I was so scared,” she sniffled, dragging the rag over his chest, scrubbing at a dried spot of blood. 

“I know. I’m sorry,” Damon told her, running his wet hand through her hair. “I’m home now.” 

“I thought I lost you.” Her hands started to shake as she actually said the words out loud. 

Damon’s other hand came up to her other cheek as he turned to face her. “But you didn’t,” he reminded her soothingly. “I will always come home to you, Elena. No matter what. Not even death can keep me away from you.” As they’d proven in the future. She ended up in the tub, fully clothed, holding him tightly for a good while before they both got out, dried off, and headed downstairs.


	65. Chapter 65

Once they were cleaned up, the headed downstairs, Elena with a change of clothes, to join the waiting group. “What happened?” Stefan was the one to ask as they came around the corner. 

“Klaus,” Damon started before his eyes lit on Jeremy, and the compulsion popped into his head. He started shaking as he tried to fight it. “Jeremy…run,” he ground out with great effort. 

“What? Why?” Jeremy asked confused, as was the rest of the room. 

“If you don’t run now, I’m going to kill you, Jer,” Damon said tightly. Jeremy had only backed about three steps away before Damon had him pinned against the wall with a hand around his throat. The fact that he didn’t snap his neck immediately was proof that Damon was still fighting the compulsion. “I can’t…fight it…much longer,” Damon said forcing himself to let go as Jeremy finally took the hint and ran. 

Damon had moved too fast for the humans in the group to even consider stopping him and the vampires and witch were too shocked to do so for the first moment when Damon had Jeremy pinned. Once Jeremy was running though, Damon started to go after him before he hit the ground, holding his head and crying out in pain. Stefan rushed over and snapped his neck. “Stefan!” Elena yelled at him. 

“What? We need to get him locked up and since we can’t knock him out with vervain, this is the easiest way to do it without a fight,” Stefan pointed out as he picked up his brother and the whole group trooped down to the dungeon with him. 

Stefan put him down and headed out to lock the door, but Elena followed them in and sat down next to the cot Damon was on. “I’m staying with him,” she said stubbornly and no one dared argue with her. 

Once the door was locked, Jeremy came down. “What was that?” he asked massaging his throat which was already bruising and feeling more than a little hurt. 

“Compulsion,” Stefan told him. “And if I heard correctly before all that started, it was Klaus who compelled him.”

“I thought vampires were immune to compulsion,” Liz chimed in. “Or is it because he was so weak from everything?” 

“We’re immune to compulsion from other normal vampires, but not from an original vampire and definitely not from Klaus who is the strongest of all the originals,” Stefan told her. 

“Original vampires?” John asked confused. 

“Vampirism was created by a witch more than a thousand years ago. Apparently her family was in danger and she wanted to protect them so she made them immortal. The magic didn’t like that. It was against the natural order of things so it was twisted into a curse causing the bloodlust and other vulnerabilities like vervain. The bloodlines weaken when they turn others, making them basically all-powerful,” Stefan explained. 

“And how many are there of these Originals?” Liz asked worriedly. 

“Five,” Stefan told her. “But according to Damon, three of them are currently out of commission, since Klaus doesn’t want the competition and the fourth is a decent guy for all that he follows his brother out of fear and family loyalty.” 

“How do we break the compulsion?” Jenna asked worriedly, looking into the cell where Damon was starting to wake up. 

“The only way to break a compulsion, other than Klaus breaking it willingly is to kill him,” Stefan said. 

“Which isn’t an option in this case,” Damon pointed out as he sat up rubbing his neck. 

“Why not?” John asked. “You’ve killed other vampires.”

“Not originals. Originals can’t be killed with anything other than a stake carved from the specific white oak tree that gave them their immortality and they burned it down over a thousand years ago as soon as they learned they were vulnerable to it.” He wasn’t going to mention where they could find more of the wood. Not yet at least. Not until he knew that no one would go after Klaus. “Plus there’s the fact that you can’t get to him. He has a dozen witches enslaved to him that protect him from anything and everything, not to mention the vampires that serve him, even if you could find him. He’s a ghost.”

“But we can still try,” Ric suggested. 

“No, because if you actually do succeed and not die, which is a very big if, then Me, Stefan, Elena, and Caroline, along with countless others of which I’m sure at least some of them don’t deserve it, will die too.” 

“What? Why?” Elena asked worriedly. She hadn’t exactly had time to learn his entire story. 

“Because we are from Klaus’ bloodline. Once an original dies, every vampire they turned, everyone those vampires turned, and so on down the line will die with them,” Damon told them all. 

“Then how do we break it?” Ric asked, desperately hoping Damon had another idea. 

“And how the hell did you manage to fight a compulsion from Klaus of all people?” Stefan asked. 

“I don’t know,” Damon shrugged. “I guess my desire not to hurt Jeremy was stronger than the compulsion.” 

“It still shouldn’t have been possible,” Stefan muttered. “But like Ric said, we still need to break it. Any ideas?” 

“Only one, and it’s not going to be pleasant,” Damon said with a wince. 

“What’s that?” Liz asked. 

“Well the compulsion is rooted in my mind. Bonnie’s little pain trick basically rips my mind apart and heals it…”

“Damon no,” Elena shook her head firmly. 

“Would you rather I end up killing Jeremy?” Damon asked pointedly. “Or spend the rest of his life locked in here?”

“There has to be another way,” Elena said, not wanting to see him go through that much pain. Especially after he’d been tortured for so long so recently. 

“There is,” Jeremy spoke up as he stepped in front of the door.

Damon immediately lunged at him and he took a few steps back. “Damnit Jer. Stay out of sight at least,” Damon said, only fighting Elena a bit as she pulled him back. 

Jeremy moved back to the side and waited for Damon to be back under control. “There is another way,” he said. “Your compulsion is to kill me right? Well I have my ring so just get it over with. I’ll come back and we’re all good.” 

“No,” Damon said before anyone else could. “Not an option. First there is no guarantee that the compulsion wouldn’t keep going as long as you were alive once you came back.”

“What exactly was the compulsion to do? What was the wording?” Stefan asked. 

“To kill my favorite human,” Damon told them before quickly adding, “No offense to you other humans.” 

Ric shook his head. “None taken. Liz and I may be your best friends, but your bond with Jeremy is more paternal. Nothing can compete with that.” Damon may act more like a big brother with Jeremy, but Ric could see the difference. He knew Damon better than the vampire thought. 

That statement was enough to make Jeremy even more determined to do this. He wasn’t going to let Damon go through that kind of torture for him. “Look, I’ll be fine,” Jeremy argued. “There was nothing in the compulsion about dragging it out, so I’m sure you could make it quick and painless. Then I wake up and we’re all good. It’s at least worth a shot before you fry your brain.”

“And then you have your first death against your tally,” Damon pointed out. “And it’ll be on me. I’d rather have my brain fried.”

“Tally?” John asked. 

“Apparently if you die too often using that ring, it causes a psychotic break,” Stefan told him. 

“One of our ancestors, Samantha Gilbert, had that happen to her. She turned into a serial killer before spending the rest of her life in an asylum,” Elena told him. 

“Do you know how many deaths it takes?” Jeremy asked. 

“Anywhere between five and ten,” Damon told him, knowing that Ric had died five times before his alternate personality took over and remembering that Samantha had died eight.

“Then I’ll be fine after one,” Jeremy argued. 

“I hate to say it, but I’m with Jeremy on this one,” Bonnie spoke up. “If I melt your brain too much I could kill you and you wouldn’t be able to come back like he could. And there’s no guarantee it would even work you said.”

“There’s no guarantee killing Jeremy would work either,” Damon argued. 

“But there is no risk of him staying dead,” Jenna sighed, knowing that Jeremy and Bonnie were right and looking apologetically at Jeremy. 

“Open the door,” Jeremy said taking a deep breath and squaring his shoulders. 

Stefan and Ric did so, looking sympathetically at Jeremy as Damon said, “Don’t you dare.” They ignored him and even Elena took a few steps back and turned away. She may know that it was necessary but that didn’t mean she wanted to watch. “Don’t…Please…” Damon breathed out as Jeremy stepped in. He started shaking, gripping the pipe at the back of the cell tightly, trying to resist as Jeremy stood in front of the open cell door. After a few minutes, he couldn’t resist anymore and blurred forward, snapping Jeremy’s neck before falling to his knees, catching him.


	66. Chapter 66

Damon leaned over Jeremy, guilt and pain welling up in him as he cradled his surrogate little brother’s body as everyone watched on compassionately. Even John who was more than a little taken aback at Damon’s feelings on the matter. When Jeremy gasped for breath a few minutes later and went to sit up, Damon winced, blurring back to the back of the cell. “Get him out and close the door,” he gasped as the compulsion came back when he did. Jeremy had died for nothing. 

“It didn’t work?” Caroline asked sadly. 

“No. It didn’t,” Damon said, relaxing now that Jeremy was out of sight. “Bon-bon you’re up.” 

Bonnie had tears welling in her eyes at the thought of what she was about to do, but she knew they were out of options. 

“I can’t watch this,” Caroline said moving for the stairs. 

“I’ll go with you,” Stefan followed. She didn’t need to be alone and he didn’t want to watch his brother suffer either. They tried to get Jeremy to go with them, but he shook his head. He wasn’t going anywhere. Damon was going through this to save him. He needed to be here. Jenna did follow them though. She didn’t think she could stomach it either. Damon was family and he was willingly signing up for more torture to protect someone else in the family. 

Once everyone who was leaving was gone, Bonnie stepped up to the break in the door. “Are you sure about this Damon?” 

Elena had moved to his side, holding him tightly, tears already streaming down her cheeks. She hated this, but she wasn’t going to leave his side right now. For better or worse, she was here for him and he needed her now more than ever, despite how badly most of her wanted to run away like the others. “I’m sure. Just get it over with,” Damon told her nervously, already sitting and leaning back against Elena. 

Screams of pain rang out through the house for a long moment as everyone winced and Damon writhed. By the time she stopped, Bonnie had tears streaming down her cheeks too. Once it stopped, Ric asked, “Is it gone?” 

“I’m not sure,” Damon panted out. When Jeremy stepped in front of the door though, he said, “No. It’s not.” Jeremy moved back away quickly, wiping his own tears. “Keep going Bonnie.” 

“Damon no. I could kill you,” Bonnie protested. 

“Better than me killing Jeremy,” Damon told her. “You really think I could live with that?” 

“But…” Bonnie looked at Elena for help. 

Elena closed her eyes and took a deep breath before opening them and nodding. “It’s okay, Bonnie. Just do it.” She had to believe that he would be okay because she knew what it would do to him otherwise. Living with that kind of guilt would kill him anyway. Either way, if he died, she had every intention of following, not that she told him that. Not even death could separate them after all. She had promised from the very beginning that live or die they would do it together. 

Bonnie screwed her eyes shut before sending the pain waves again, longer this time, and she stopped when Damon went still. “Is he…” she croaked out around the lump in her throat. 

Elena brushed his hair back from his face and shook her head. “No. He’s alive,” she said relieved. His body wasn’t withering like it would have if he was dead. 

“I’m not doing that again. Whether it worked or not. I’m not doing it,” she said, collapsing in Jeremy’s arms as he held her soothingly, running a hand through her hair. 

John was the next to turn to leave, telling himself that it was because Elena was being so loving and affectionate with Damon as he was unconscious, but really he was just reevaluating his entire life. Damon had just spend days being tortured and ripped apart, only to come home and not only volunteer, but demand more just to save someone he cared about. Instead of waiting upstairs, he just walked out the door and left. He needed to do some serious soul-searching right now and couldn’t do that in vampire central. 

Ric and Liz felt like they owed it to Damon to keep an eye on him, and both of them were a little hardier than most. They could handle these sorts of things better, not that it didn’t tear them apart too, but not nearly as badly as the kids. It was about ten minutes before Damon was groaning awake. “Damon! Are you okay? How do you feel?” Elena said frantically, running her hand through his hair and over his face. 

“Did anyone get the number of that bus?” he joked weakly, pulling an almost hysterical chuckle from Elena. He pulled himself to sitting with Elena’s help and called out. “Hey Jer. Come stand in front of the door for a sec?” When Jeremy did so, Damon said, “It’s gone,” as he let out a breath of relief that was echoed by everyone else. 

“Can someone toss us some blood before you let us out of here?” Elena asked, knowing that Damon would need his strength back and she could use some too. 

Liz grabbed two bags from the cooler behind her and handed them to Ric who tossed them through the bars. “That good or you need more.”

“It’s fine,” Damon told them as Elena opened his since his hands were still shaking before opening her own. It didn’t take either of them long to drain them and they were let out. The first thing Damon did was grab Bonnie in a hug. “Thank you, Bon-bon. Once again, I owe you everything.” 

“Don’t ever make me do that again,” she sniffled against his chest, hugging him tightly. 

“I’ll do my best,” he promised kissing her head before Elena took her turn hugging a still distraught Bonnie. Damon reached his hand out to Jeremy’s shoulder, surprised that the teenager didn’t flinch away in the slightest. He was only a little surprised when Jeremy grabbed him in a tight hug as well. “I’m so sorry, Jer. You okay?” 

Jeremy pulled back, voice thick with emotion. “It wasn’t your fault, Damon. I know you would never hurt me if you had any other choice.” If he’d ever doubted that before, he definitely couldn’t now. 

“Come on,” Ric clapped Damon on the shoulder. “Now you really need to get some rest.” 

Damon shook his head, but let himself be led up the stairs. “You need to hear the story first,” he said. Once he got back upstairs and got hugs from Stefan, Caroline, and Jenna, he plopped exhaustedly on the couch. 

“So what’s the story,” Ric asked. 

“First, there is something that I’m not telling any of you simply because it’s very sensitive information. It’s need to know only because if it gets out, then Elena will be hunted for the rest of her eternity. Generally speaking though, due to a freak accident of birth, her blood is exceptionally powerful for certain magic. Dark magic. Luckily what Klaus needed her for is invalidated by her being a vampire, but there are still others that could use her even now.” 

“How did he even find out?” Bonnie asked worriedly. “The spells on that locket should have prevented that?” 

“Apparently her having to take it off, killed the spells for a time and he started getting suspicious so his witches started working on the problem and found a way to make him exempt from the effect.” 

“So that could happen again?” Elena asked worriedly. 

“It’s not likely,” Damon told her. “Klaus has been searching for a thousand years non-stop for someone like you. Suddenly forgetting what he was looking for was suspicious to him and he had witches that work with the same kind of magic. As long as you don’t take it off anymore, you should be safe.” 

“What about these other people that want her?” Caroline asked worriedly. 

“They work with a different kind of magic and won’t be able to get through the spells. That and they aren’t specifically looking for her,” Damon told him. “It’s still a bit of a risk though, which is why I told her not to take it off anymore.” 

“What do they want?” Jenna asked worriedly. 

“Klaus needed her blood as a human to break a curse that was placed on him after he became a vampire. Breaking that curse would make him even more powerful than he already is. He would practically be a god. The other group needs her blood to enslave humanity. I won’t say how or why, but just that it would be bad. Which is why I asked for the locket in the first place. It will keep anyone from figuring out what she is as long as she’s wearing it.” 

“So basically, if any strangers come around asking questions about her, we need to be on our guard,” Jeremy guessed, getting a nod from Damon. 

“And keep a lookout for Klaus too. Just because he can’t use her anymore doesn’t mean that he won’t try to cause trouble,” Damon told them. “I don’t think he will, but I wouldn’t rule it out completely.” 

“Okay. We get the dangers,” Stefan said. “Now go get some rest before you fall out.”


	67. Chapter 67

Elena helped Damon up the stairs to their room and into bed before climbing in next to him. Damon’s arms wrapped around her as he just breathed her in. “Thank you, Elena. For supporting my decision down there.” 

“I didn’t like it,” she admitted. “But I didn’t have much choice. Besides, you always support my decisions. How could I not support yours. If you had died though…”

“But I didn’t,” he reminded her. “And I would have found a way back if I had.” 

“Just please, never put me in that situation again,” Elena begged, burying her face in his chest. 

“I’ll do my best not to have to,” he promised again. He knew that he wouldn’t have been able to do the same in her position, but didn’t tell her that. He didn’t want to risk it making her feel guilty. He didn’t manage to stay awake that much longer and neither did Elena. She hadn’t slept very well the last few nights with him missing and then all the stress of today added to it had her completely exhausted. 

The next morning, they didn’t get out of bed for a good long while, though Damon was still too weak to be as active as they usually were, but they both still needed what they could get. By the time they finally dragged themselves out of bed, cuddling as much as having sex, it was almost noon. It wasn’t until Damon was picking up his pants to throw them away that he remembered the papers in the pockets. He pulled out Bonnie’s note first and smiled as he read ‘Help is coming. Stay strong big brother. -BB’. He folded it up and stuck it in his current pocket, not wanting to throw it away just yet as he pulled the folded envelope out of the other pocket. 

He opened the envelope and gaped at the check for five million dollars. He actually had given him the bounty after all. Elena came up behind him and read it. “Is that for real?” she asked incredulously. 

“It’s the bounty on Katherine,” he told her. “So probably.” 

“What are you going to do with it?” she asked curiously. 

“I don’t want his money,” Damon shook his head. “We have more than enough money anyway. But maybe…”

“Maybe what?” Elena prompted when he trailed off. 

“As much as I don’t want it, letting him hold onto it seems just as wrong. Given that Klaus almost managed to kill Jeremy through me…it seems fitting that this money go to him.” 

Elena smiled. “I think that’s a great idea,” she told him. “But only if it won’t cause Klaus to go after Jeremy.”

“I’ll cash it and then give him the cash so it won’t be traceable to him as easily,” Damon told her and she nodded. “But I doubt Klaus will care much either way. This much money is like pocket change to him.”

Later that day, Elena reminded him, “I know that in the gran scheme of things it’s kinda stupid and I’ll understand if you’d rather not go or aren’t feeling up to it, but the sixties dance is Friday night…” 

“Elena, I would love to go,” Damon told her. “I think getting back to normal is just what we need right now and I should be right as rain by then.” He just hoped that this dance wouldn’t be interrupted by Klaus this time around. Before all that went down, it had been fun last time. He had even gotten the chance to dance with her for a little while despite her being with Stefan. This time she was all his. 

Elena smiled and kissed him. “Good. I can’t wait.” 

The dance ended up going well. No drama at all really and Caroline had planned everything perfectly. There was a lot of changing up of dance partners within their group but most of the night was spent with their significant others. This had been the first school event since the engagement so they got a lot of congratulations now that Damon was there with her, and he enjoyed the chance to show off. 

Not long after the dance, Caroline cornered them to get working on the wedding party. They had yet to make any decisions there so Damon and Elena sat down to discuss it. “I don’t know who I want to be my maid of honor,” Elena admitted. “I can’t decide between Caroline, Bonnie, and Jenna.”

“Well I was planning on having Stefan, Jeremy, and Ric on my side, so pick one to be the maid of honor and the other two can be bridesmaids,” Damon told her as though it should be obvious. 

“Okay, but which one,” Elena said wearily before getting an idea. “Who is going to be your best man?” 

“Stefan,” Damon told her. He was his flesh and blood and after everything that he’d put Stefan through over the years, he owed him that much and more. 

“Okay. Then Caroline will be my maid of honor to keep the couple together. Then Bonnie with Jeremy and Jenna with Ric,” she decided. 

“There we go. Now we can get Caroline off our backs,” Damon joked. 

“Not exactly,” Elena chuckled. “We still need a ring bearer and flower girl, plus who will give me away.” 

“Are those things really necessary? And are you really going to let John give you away?” 

“It’s Caroline planning it. The ring bearer and flower girl are necessary. I would have preferred either Ric or Jeremy to give me away, but I guess John is the only other option…maybe I won’t have anyone give me away then. I’m sure I can get that past Caroline at least.”

“Okay good. I didn’t really like that idea either, but if you really have your heart set on Jeremy or Ric, we can make some changes to the rest of the wedding party…”

“No,” Elena told him. “It works out perfectly as it is. I’m good with walking down the aisle alone.” 

“Okay good. As far as the rugrats, I don’t really care so you can just pick whoever or even have Caroline pick,” Damon told her. Elena didn’t really care either so easily agreed to that. There weren’t any little kids that she was close to after all. They still had to do things like buy the rings and all, but that was easy and quick. Caroline was taking care of pretty much everything else. 

Once all their work was done for the wedding, Damon turned his attention to planning the biggest birthday bash ever for Elena’s eighteenth birthday in just over a month. While he did get plenty of input from Caroline, she was busy enough with the wedding less than two months after that that he got to do most of the planning himself even managing to keep it mostly secret from Elena. She knew that he was planning a party, but not the grandeur of it. 

Just before the party, came the next big piece of news. A few days before Ric and Jenna sat down with Damon, Elena, and Jeremy. “We’re getting married,” Jenna told them, getting congratulations from all three of them. “And I’m pregnant,” she added, getting even more congratulations. Damon watched Elena carefully for any signs of jealousy. The last time Ric had been having a baby while she was a vampire, it made her long for a human life even more. He didn’t see anything though, but intended to talk to her later that night. 

“Yeah, I was planning to wait until after your wedding to propose, but then with the baby…” Ric shrugged apologetically. 

“It’s fine, Ric. Really. We don’t mind at all,” Elena assured him. 

“What she said,” Damon agreed. “Long as you’re not wanting a double wedding we’re all good.”

“No, definitely not,” Jenna said with a laugh. “We were thinking April since the baby will be due in February. That way I’m not walking down the aisle obviously pregnant and there isn’t enough time to pull a wedding off before I start to show.” Not with yours coming up she didn’t say, but she didn’t need to. 

“That sounds perfect,” Elena said with a grin, getting up to hug them both before Jenna and Elena disappeared upstairs to talk girl stuff, leaving Damon, Ric, and Jeremy downstairs and they quickly hit the booze. Jenna was more open with allowing Jeremy to drink as long as Ric, Damon, or both were with him. She still didn’t like it at parties though when no one was keeping a very close eye on him, but she stopped worrying too much about it. 

Once Ric, Jenna, and Jeremy had headed home, Damon slipped into the bedroom with Elena, wrapping his arms around her stomach and kissing her neck. “How are you doing?” 

“I’m great. Why wouldn’t I be?” Elena asked, leaning back against him happily. 

“You’re not regretting being a vampire now with the whole baby thing?” he asked gently. 

Elena chuckled and turned his arms, running her hands through his hair. “Maybe a little bit, but not enough to want to change it. I mean, do I wish I could be a mother one day? Sure. Just like you wish you could be a father. But what we have means a lot more to me and like I said before, there’s always adoption.” 

Damon could see that she meant it completely and pulled her in for a long loving kiss. “I’m glad,” he told her. “I never want you to regret anything for a second.” 

“You do realize that people always have regrets right?” she pointed out. “It’s inevitable. No matter what decision you make in any given situation, you’ll always wonder if a different one would have been better. I love that you care so much about my happiness, but you’ll never stop me from regretting anything. The one thing that I will never regret is loving you though. I love our life and wouldn’t trade it for anything.” 

“I am so lucky to have you,” Damon said happily as they went to bed.


	68. Chapter 68

The party ended up being a smash. Most of the high school was there along with half the rest of the town and it went much better than Elena’s last eighteenth birthday party. There was no danger hanging over their heads, the whole family was there and happy, and everyone was having a blast. 

Before they knew it, the time for their wedding was approaching fast and everything was moving in a blur as they tried to get everything ready. John had earned enough forgiveness from Elena to be present, but she didn’t budge on the idea of him giving her away. She would be coming down the aisle alone. 

Damon had let Elena have the house the night before the wedding and spent the night at Jenna and Ric’s. In her old bedroom actually. It was decided that it would be better for the bride to be closer to the location to get ready, which meant that the bachelor party was held there, while the bachelorette party was at the boarding house. Damon had asked for just a simple night with the guys for his bachelor party, wanting to reduce the risk of anything screwing this up and he suspected that the girls were planning something similar. 

By the time Damon woke up the next morning, everyone else was already awake. “You nervous brother?” Stefan asked as Damon poured them drinks and the two humans had brunch. 

“Yes and no,” Damon admitted. 

“No cold feet?” Ric teased. 

“Not in the slightest,” Damon laughed. “I’ve been waiting for this day for what seems like forever.”

“Then what are you nervous about?” Jeremy asked curiously.

“Something going wrong mostly. I mean…this is the biggest day of my life after all,” Damon told him. 

“Don’t worry,” Stefan assured him. “Caroline is in charge. Nothing will go wrong.” 

Damon hoped he was right, but weddings in this family tended to be crashed by the worst possible parties. He wasn’t going to jinx anything by mentioning it though. Once they were ready, they headed for the boarding house to supervise the last of the setting up, knowing that Elena had been forbidden from leaving the house until the wedding started so they wouldn’t see each other. 

Meanwhile, as Elena got ready, she was a bundle of nerves that only got worse once the dress was on. It was Caroline that managed to calm her down. “Don’t worry, Elena. Everything is going to be perfect, I promise. And when you see Damon waiting at the end of that aisle for you, nothing else is going to matter.” 

Elena took a few deep breaths, reminding herself of that. Damon would be waiting for her and they would be married. He would be her husband in just two hours. There wasn’t a doubt in her mind that he would be there. She could even hear him outside already, if she had been worried about that. She could also hear the caterers downstairs getting ready for the reception and knew that Caroline was right. Everything would be fine. It didn’t calm all of her nerves, but it helped enough that she stopped vibrating at least. 

When the time came, they all went downstairs and lined up at the back doors to go out and Caroline slipped out the door to let them know they were ready and then the music started. Bonnie went out first, met by Jeremy at the back of the last aisle for the rest of the walk. Then was Jenna, met by Ric. Caroline walked the entire way alone, Stefan staying by Damon’s side as was traditional and then the bridal march started and Elena took a deep breath before stepping out. As predicted, the moment her eyes met Damon’s everything else just fell away and nothing existed but the two of them. She didn’t notice the people standing up, or the camera flashes, or anyone or anything else. Just Damon as she marched slowly towards him. 

When Elena stepped out the doors, Damon’s breath hitched and Stefan had to elbow him to get him to breathe causing Jeremy to snicker softly. Elena looked like an angel in her perfect wedding gown and this was the moment he’d been waiting his entire life for. Every moment of pain and suffering and torment that he’d ever experienced had led him here and it had been more than worth it. Elena was going to be his wife. Finally. When she reached him, he took her hand and couldn’t help but press a lingering kiss to the back of it before they turned to face the officiant. 

Neither of them heard anything the man said, too lost in each other’s eyes, and Stefan again had to prompt Damon with a poke to his back when it was time for the vows. “Forever is a long time, but I have no doubts that my forever will be spent with you. Being your husband is a dream come true. I could never even come close to deserving you, but I will spend the rest of forever trying to. To be the kind of man that you can count on. That you can believe in. To always be by your side. You saw something worth saving in me, and made me a better man in the process. You’ve made me feel alive again in ways I never thought possible. No matter what happens, we will always find our way back to each other. I will love you until I take my last breath on this earth.” 

There were a lot of wet eyes at his vows, but none more so than Elena’s. The tears streaming down her cheeks and the lump in her throat made it difficult for her to say her vows, but she managed somehow. “When we met I was at my lowest point, but you gave me hope. You gave me something to believe in. You were there for me in ways that no one else could ever be. Knowing what I needed before I needed it myself. You were patient and kind and falling in love with you was inevitable. I could never have done any different. The one thing in my life I can be certain that I’ll never regret is loving you. Some people spend their whole lives looking for their place in this world, and I’ve been lucky enough to find mine. My place is and will always be by your side. Come what may. I will love you until I take my last breath on this earth.” 

There was another little speech that very few people heard before it was time for Stefan to hand over the rings. Damon slid Elena’s ring on her finger as he repeated the officiant’s words. “Elena, I give you this ring as a symbol of my love. As it encircles your finger, may it remind you always that you are surrounded by my enduring love.”

She slid his ring on his finger with the same words, and then finally the words they had been waiting for. “I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride.” 

Damon wasted no time doing just that, pulling Elena into the most loving and passionate kiss they’d had to date. When they pulled back, both his thumbs caressed her cheeks. “I love you so much Elena.” 

“I love you too, Damon,” she whispered back, kissing him one more time before they started the recessional back towards the house. 

They mingled for a little while, accepting congratulations from everyone as the crews worked to change the aisles into tables, putting the long table at the front right in front of the altar for the wedding party. That didn’t take long at all and they were heading for their seats and the caterers took over, bringing out the first course. There were a lot of forks clinking against glasses over the course of the meal, but neither of the happy couple were complaining as they kissed each time. 

Once the meal was over, it was time for the toasts from the best man and maid of honor. Stefan talked a little bit about Damon growing up, careful to keep any period references out of it and told how he hadn’t really come into himself until Elena entered his life and how she was the best thing that ever happened to his brother. Caroline told a couple stories about Elena from their early childhood when they would daydream about their perfect wedding and talked about how Damon was the perfect guy to make her dreams come true. 

Then came the cake, which, of course was smashed into each other’s faces. Damon hadn’t been able to resist and Elena was quick on the revenge having expected it. Then the dancing started. Their had been a lot of debate about their first song, but eventually they had settled on Hunger. They both thought it was fitting that their goodbye from the last timeline would be the start of their new lives together this time. They were once again oblivious to all the cameras as they twirled around the dance floor. 

Over the course of the evening, there were a few more toasts and after a rather nice one from John, which surprised them all, Elena even gave him a ‘father/daughter’ dance at one point. Not that it was official of course, since everyone else was still dancing around them, but John considered himself lucky to get that much. When the party deteriorated from the formal, it ended up moving back and forth from inside to out, and at Damon’s prompting, Ric slipped away for a few minutes with Lexi and her boyfriend to get them invited into the house away from any prying eyes so they could come and go as well. 

It wasn’t long after the sun set, before Damon and Elena disappeared to catch their flight for their honeymoon. There had been a lot of discussion on where they would go, but Elena wanted to see Naples which was where Damon’s grandparents had been born and raised before they came to America. They would be there for three weeks before they got back just in time for the new school year to start.


	69. Chapter 69

Elena got home from her honeymoon two days before her senior year was due to start and the first time she was called Elena Salvatore, she couldn’t help but grin. And for quite a few times after that. In fact, it was after Christmas before the joy of her new name wore off. Damon and Elena hosted Christmas this year with Ric, Jenna, Jeremy, Stefan, Caroline, and Liz. Bonnie joined them in the afternoon, her and Jeremy still going strong in their relationship, and the big Christmas dinner was better than ever. 

It was only a few months after Christmas when Ric and Jenna’s son was born. Jenna was perfectly fine with carrying on the family tradition of naming him Alaric but insisted on a normal middle name of Gene. Damon had to blink back tears the first time he held the baby, desperately missing the fact that he’d had a chance to have children of his own before everything went to hell. He got what Elena meant about that there would always be regrets. Despite how much he would miss that chance, he wouldn’t trade what he had no for anything. Elena was just as enamored with the baby, and she and Damon started talking more seriously about the potential of adoption, but not until after college. 

The rest of senior year went by in a blur, and Damon and Elena went to all the dances, carnivals, and every other event the school hosted, neither of them wanting Elena to miss out on anything for her final year. Prom was wonderful and Caroline and Stefan got prom king and queen. Then came graduation and Elena Salvatore got her diploma. Caroline was valedictorian and gave a rather moving speech, and then they were free for the summer. 

Elena had been a little down in the dumps about the fact that she and Caroline and Bonnie were supposed to be roommates in college, but now that she was married it put a crimp in things, so Damon fixed it. He rented a three bedroom house just off-campus at the college that wasn’t Whitmore that they had all decided on. One room for him and Elena. Another for Stefan and Caroline who were engaged right after graduation. At the graduation party even. The third bedroom was for Bonnie, and next year assuming things were still going well, Jeremy. 

When the time came to choose their majors, Elena chose mythology, wanting to learn more about the supernatural world and it’s origins. “I’m surprised you didn’t go pre-med,” Damon told her when she mentioned it. 

“I might one day,” Elena said with a shrug. “I have forever after all. Right now I just want to have fun with the whole college experience. I’ll need a new career or something every few decades anyway, so I’ll have plenty of time to be a doctor later.” 

Damon smiled and pulled her close, glad that she was seeing the beauty and joy in life as a vampire now. Last time there had been the possibility of a cure and she hadn’t really wanted to be a vampire in the first place so she had resisted all that, trying to cling to any semblance of a normal life she could get. “You can do anything and everything you want to do,” he assured her. “And I’ll be by your side through it all.” 

Stefan and Caroline had a June wedding after the first year of college and Jeremy proposed to Bonnie not long after, wanting to wait until that was over so as not to steal any thunder. Damon did have a conversation with Jeremy right after that about becoming a vampire, since Jeremy had never given any indication that he had changed his mind, but he hadn’t brought it up in a long time either. “I just wanted to check in on the whole you wanting to become a vampire thing since if that’s still what you want, it’s something that you should definitely discuss with Bonnie now.”

“Actually, I changed my mind about that,” Jeremy said almost apologetically. “It’s just…I want to be able to have kids one day and with Bonnie…I mean, she’s not immortal like vampires so…”

“Hey, you don’t have to explain to me,” Damon assured him. “Believe me, I get it. If Elena and I had the same option I would take it in a heartbeat.” 

“I know,” Jeremy said with a sad smile. That had been what finally decided him actually. He’d seen how much Damon and Elena wanted kids one day and knowing that it wasn’t an option for them made him realize how much he wanted it. That and he couldn’t imagine living forever without Bonnie and there was next to no chance of her ever wanting to be turned. She liked being a witch too much and she would lose that if she became a vampire. “The only reason I would do it is to prevent the risk of my hunter’s mark being activated, but Bonnie told me about this ceremony that we could do that would bind us together and give me just enough connection to her witch side that would prevent it too.”

“That sounds interesting. I’ve never heard of that before,” Damon said curiously. 

“Apparently it hasn’t been done for a few generations, but it’s an option,” Jeremy told him. 

“Well it sounds like you have it all figured out,” Damon chuckled. 

“Yeah, I wanted to ask you though…if you wanted to be my best man?” 

“I’d be honored,” Damon said with a grin, pulling Jeremy into a hug. 

Jeremy and Bonnie were married at Christmas during Jeremy’s first year in college and the rest of the gang’s second. While Bonnie wasn’t willing to give up the Bennett in her name due to her witch heritage, she did agree to hyphenate and be Bonnie Bennett-Gilbert. The bonding ceremony they did gave Jeremy just enough power to be considered a weak witch. He could manage to light a candle, but not a fire. He could levitate feathers or sand and such, but not something as heavy as a book. He wasn’t able to cast spells on his own, but could assist Bonnie in the casting since his limited power was coming directly from her. It was enough to make him supernatural and keep the hunter’s mark from activating and give him entrance to the other side after death, but that was it. Unfortunately, it also kept his ring from working and he gave it to Jenna for the time being, but she promised that if he had a kid who wasn’t a witch she would pass it back to his family. 

Once Jeremy joined them, the rest of the gang who were actually attending college, decided to pick up their schedules and try to graduate with their bachelors a semester early so they would have time to get masters before Jeremy graduated. Damon was the only one not attending, but he did end up taking a few classes, including occult studies with the others just because it looked fun and gave him more time with Elena. Having four Salvatores in the class did tend to give the teacher fits though, but that just added to Damon’s enjoyment. While there was some overlap in the classes of the others, there weren’t many where all of them were in the same class. 

All of them sharing the same house did get tiresome at times, especially with four of them being vampires, but they had chosen a college in a bigger city which made it easier to feed for the three on human blood, but there was also a national forest nearby which gave Stefan opportunities to hunt too. Bonnie and Jeremy often complained about the fridge being taken up by blood all the time until they bought a second fridge. It wasn’t just because of the complaints though. Once they had friends coming over more often and even hosting parties, having the blood in plain sight wasn’t a good idea so the second fridge was hidden away in the master closet since it was the biggest and Caroline just had to deal with going into Damon and Elena’s room when she needed some. 

Despite the occasional stepping on each other’s toes and unwanted pornographic shows they all dealt with it well, knowing that it was just part of the normal college experience. It would have been even worse in a dorm, so there weren’t too many complaints. There was a lot of grumbling though that they were all immune to compulsion, even Jeremy once he became a sort of witch. There were a few memories that some of them wanted to get rid of. 

They went back to Mystic Falls for Christmas and Summer breaks, which always coincided with Elena disappearing for a few hours to make some cryptic phone calls that she didn’t want any of the vampires in the house to risk overhearing. Her husband had definitely noticed as had her brothers and sisters in law, but they let her keep her secrets. They figured they would find out eventually anyway, though Stefan was brought in on the secret during the summer before their last year so that he could help with the details and he was rocked by what she was doing.


	70. Chapter 70

Around Christmas of Jeremy’s senior year of college and the rest of the gang’s masters year, Elena started getting concerned. She noticed that her clothes weren’t fitting right anymore which didn’t make sense. Vampires didn’t gain or lose weight like that. They could gain or lose muscle, or even lose weight when they starved themselves too much, but that wasn’t what this was. She had also been a lot hungrier the last few months, but she didn’t think much of that. It wasn’t to a worrying degree, but this was. She didn’t say anything to anyone yet, not wanting to worry them, but by the middle of January, it was getting worse and Damon started to notice too. 

“I think we need to see someone,” Damon told her. “There’s a doctor I know of who’s in the know about the whole supernatural world.”

“You think this is something medical?” Elena asked worriedly. “Can vampires even get sick?” 

“Not usually no, but something magical wouldn’t last this long. I mean, even the most powerful witches can’t get more than a few days out of a spell even anchoring them to celestial events. It’s worth a shot, at least to rule it out,” Damon told her. 

That had them on the road to a place he had hoped to never visit again. Whitmore college. He looked up Jo Laughlin and found her at the medical center. They cornered her in her office and Damon knew that there was no way to play this except for bluntly. “Okay here’s the deal, I know you were born a witch and gave up your powers.”

“What do you…” she started nervously, looking around for an exit. 

“Listen, we don’t want to cause any trouble for you. We just need a medical opinion from someone who knows about the supernatural world and you were the only person I can think of. Will you help us?” 

Jo took a few deep breaths to calm herself down, knowing that these people /could/ cause a lot of trouble for her if she refused to help, but hopefully if she did then they would just go on their way. “What kind of help do you need?” 

“There’s something going on with me,” Elena told her. “I’ve been hungrier than usual, I seem to be putting on weight, and I just feel…off.”

“It sounds like you’re pregnant,” Jo told her wondering why they sought her out for something so simple. 

“Except we’re both vampires. That’s not possible,” Damon told her. 

Jo’s eyes widened. That explained it. Vampires couldn’t procreate. Everyone knew that. Even if only one of them were a vampire it wouldn’t have been possible. “That definitely changes things. Let’s start with a quick ultrasound to see what’s going on and make sure there aren’t any tumors or anything, not that that should be possible either, but…” she trailed off, motioning them to follow her to an exam room. It being a college campus they were definitely prepared for things like this. As they headed down the halls, she tried to make conversation. “What are your names?” 

“They’ll be kept out of any records, I hope?” Damon asked pointedly and she nodded. “I’m Damon Salvatore and this is my wife Elena.” The last thing he wanted was his name being bandied about here of all places. 

“How long have you been married?” 

“Almost five and a half years,” Elena told her with a smile as they entered the room. Damon helped her up on the table while Jo got everything ready and that was the end of the conversation for the moment as it turned to all business. 

Damon knew that he wasn’t likely to recognize much on the monitor anyway, so kept his attention on Elena, but his eyes were drawn to the monitor at the gasp from both of the women. “You say you’re both vampires?” Jo asked suspiciously. “You’re not just screwing with me?” 

“Is that…” Elena breathed out. 

“It’s not possible…” Damon said in just as much awe as his wife. 

“Well possible or not, you’re pregnant,” Jo said, moving the ultrasound around. “Twins actually.” 

Damon felt his legs give out and plopped into the chair next to the bed, not letting go of Elena’s hand. “But…how…” 

“That’s not really a question I can answer,” Jo told them amusedly. 

“Are they…vampires or…or human since we used to be or…?” Elena asked, unable to pin down an emotion right now. 

“I can’t say with absolute certainty obviously; not without more tests and samples of vampire dna, but my best medical opinion would be yes,” Jo told them. “There is no heartbeat for either of them, but they are moving around and obviously alive in some sense of the word.” 

Elena took a few deep breaths as Jo ended the ultrasound. “Okay…but…how do we even do this? I mean…do I need to be drinking more blood or do they need human food at this age…has there ever even been a vampire baby?” she asked getting frantic. 

“Easy, Elena,” Jo said calmingly, seeing the same questions burning in Damon’s eyes as well. “As best I can tell they seem perfectly healthy so I would suggest you keep doing as you’ve been doing for the time being. I would be happy to keep seeing you so we can keep an eye on things and make sure they stay that way and we can make changes as needed. As far as I know this is unprecedented, but we can figure it out.” She easily slid into doctor mode, and despite them being vampires, she couldn’t resist actually liking them for some reason. She’d always considered herself a good judge of character and just hoped she was right this time. 

“I’m almost positive that this has never happened before,” Damon finally found words to rejoin the conversation. “We would appreciate any help you can give us,” he told Jo gratefully, knowing that Elena would agree with him there. 

“Do you know how far along I am?” Elena asked. 

“Well judging by the current development and comparing to human babies, I would guess somewhere around four months, but I’ll be able to give a better estimate in a few weeks once I have more information on their growth rate and how closely it resembles humans. For the moment, I’d like to see you once a week if that’s good with you both?” 

Damon and Elena looked at each other before agreeing. There was no question that they would do anything and everything in their power to keep these children as healthy as possible, even if it meant driving four hours each way once a week. And that was at Damon’s driving speed. “I only have one morning class on Tuesdays, so could we make it that day?” 

“Oh you’re a student?” Jo asked. “Here at Whitmore?” 

“No. Shenandoah University up north,” Damon told her. “You’re still going to try and finish up your degree?” he asked Elena. 

“The babies will come first if needed, but I only have a few months left, so I’m gonna try and finish up if I can manage it,” Elena told him. 

“Well if you can’t, you can always go back after they’re born,” Damon told her.

“Thank you, Damon,” Elena said gratefully. She loved how he always supported her no matter what she wanted. 

“That’s a long way away. I can see if I can get a referral for a doctor closer to you if you’d like,” Jo offered. It might involve letting someone else in on the secret, but it would be doable. 

“No, that’s okay,” Elena told her. Damon trusted her and that was good enough for Elena. She didn’t want this getting out any more than it had to be. “We can make the trip.”

Jo was moved by that. She had no idea why these two trusted her so much above anyone else, but it did make her feel good. “Okay, but I would suggest having someone near you train as a midwife for the delivery at least. It’s not likely that you’ll be able to make it this far if you go into labor, and here’s my personal cell number if you have any emergencies.” 

Damon and Elena both nodded. “Thank you Dr. Laughlin,” Elena said gratefully. Once they made an appointment for the end of the day next Tuesday, off the book of course, they got in the car to head home. 

“How do you feel about this?” Elena asked, noticing that Damon wasn’t exactly himself at the moment. Then again, neither was she. 

“About being the father of your children…ecstatic, but also…I’m worried,” Damon admitted. 

“About?” Elena asked, wondering if it was the same kind of things she was worried about. 

“As vampires, our humanity and emotions and personality carry over from our human lives. If these babies were never human…” he trailed off, not really wanting to even think about it. 

“You think…they could be true monsters?” Elena asked, tears welling up in her eyes as her arms crossed protectively over her stomach. 

“I don’t know,” Damon told her. “There has never been a vampire baby before. I have no idea what to expect or how this happened or why.”

“Maybe we can ask Bonnie and Grams to do some research. If anyone can figure out what’s going on it’s them,” Elena suggested. Bonnie was following her grandmother’s footsteps career wise so they would be the best people to ask. 

“Yeah. That works,” Damon said, a little more relaxed at the prospect of answers. 

“And until or unless we know otherwise, we consider them just like any other babies,” Elena said firmly, getting an easy agreement from Damon as he turned towards the office of the woman they needed to see.


	71. Chapter 71

Damon and Elena knocked on Sheila Bennett’s office door, glad that she was still around to have her job rather than the creep that replaced her in the other future. “Damon? Elena? What brings you here?” Sheila asked curiously. She’d gotten closer to them in the years since they’d met, though neither of them had an invitation into her house still. That was a line she wasn’t willing to cross. They were family now though since Bonnie had married Jeremy, so that meant something. 

“We’re about to tell you something incredibly shocking and we need some help to figure out how this could have happened,” Damon said. 

“Okay,” Sheila said, curiosity peaked even more. There was little she loved more than a good challenge and this promised to be a doozy judging by their demeanor. 

“I just came back from seeing a doctor,” Elena told her, handing over the ultrasound image that Jo had printed up for them. 

Sheila gasped and put her hand over her heart, eyes darting to Elena’s belly. Now that she was looking for it she could see the baby bump despite the loose fitting shirt. “That’s…you didn’t find a cure without telling me? You’re still vampires?” she asked in shock. 

“Yes. We’re both still vampires,” Damon assured her. 

“And the baby…” she squinted at the picture again before correcting. “Babies?” 

“As best the doctor can tell they’re vampires too, but without previously being human we don’t know what they will be like,” Damon told her. 

“Plus the fact that a pregnancy like this has never been seen as far as we know, so we don’t have any idea how to handle it,” Elena chimed in. 

“This isn’t something that research is going to help,” Sheila told them, handing the picture back. “I’ve never even heard a hint of something like this in all the research I’ve done in the last fifty years, and vampire lore has featured pretty heavily with the whole Mystic Falls connection.” 

“So you can’t help us,” Damon sighed sadly. 

“I didn’t say I couldn’t help. Just that research wasn’t the answer,” Sheila said. “This is something I’ll have to consult the spirits for. If I can get Bonnie down for the weekend to help me it would be easier.”

“I’m sure she won’t mind,” Elena assured her. Bonnie had been complaining about not getting enough time with her grandmother anyway. “Just don’t talk to her about it until tomorrow?” We want to break the news ourselves.” She easily agreed to that and shooed them out so she could get back to work. 

Then they were back on the road headed for home. At least their temporary home. Mystic Falls would be their semi-permanent home at least for a few more decades until they had to move on. On the way home they made a few decisions. The first of which was that they weren’t telling anyone but Bonnie for the moment. They were hoping for some answers before they had to face all the questions. The second was that Damon would be the one training to deliver the babies. He was the only one without a full classload so it made sense, despite how squeamish he was about the idea. He was the one to bring it up though, so Elena allowed it. As much as she liked the idea of him holding her hand through it, him delivering their children was even better. It was a last resort anyway. They planned to stay closer to Whitmore once her due date got close. 

Once they got home, they realized that Caroline and Stefan were out for the evening, which was a good thing since they didn’t have to worry about vampire ears overhearing, and Elena said, “Bonnie, can we talk to you alone for a second?” 

“Of course,” she said, giving her husband a kiss and getting up to follow them. 

Once they were safely in Damon and Elena’s room upstairs with the door closed, Elena said, “I’m pregnant.”

“What?!” Bonnie screeched, before clapping a hand over her mouth. “Sorry. It’s just…how is this even possible?” 

“We don’t know,” Damon said. “Which is why we need you to help your grandmother figure it out. She said something about consulting with the spirits or something and wanted to know if you’d be willing to head down and help her this weekend.” 

“Yeah. Of course. Absolutely,” Bonnie assured them. “I’m guessing you don’t want anyone else to know until you have some answers?” 

“Exactly,” Elena said. “They’re going to have the same questions and we have no idea what to tell them.” 

“I’ll call Grams tomorrow and we’ll work it out,” Bonnie assured them. “We’ll get you your answers one way or another.” 

“Thank you Bonnie,” Elena said hugging her. 

“You’re pregnant!” Bonnie grinned, bouncing her as she hugged her back and then all but tackled Damon in a hug as well. “I’m so happy for you two!” She knew that they had already started looking into adoption agencies but they so badly wanted children of their own and now they actually could have them. She just hoped the answers to the questions were good ones for their sakes. She couldn’t imagine how heartbroken they would be if this went badly. Not now that they had their hopes up. 

When Bonnie went back downstairs with Jeremy, Elena grabbed a blood bag before bed. She’d been trying to go easy before since she didn’t realize why she was so much more hungry lately, but now that she knew, she had no intention of fighting it. Her babies could have anything they needed. When she and Damon went to bed, his hand immediately found its way to her slightly protruding stomach and he rubbed over the soft skin there. He was trying so hard not to get his hopes up too much, but it wasn’t going very well. He was going to have children. He was going to be a father. It was his greatest dream come true and he couldn’t help falling for them already. 

Elena put her hand over top of Damon’s. She knew what he was thinking and feeling. The fear and the hope and the love all at the same time. She threaded their fingers together as he nuzzled her hair, neither of them needing words to express things right now. They didn’t sleep very well that night. Or for the rest of the week. This waiting for answers thing was more than a little stressful. Damon did sign up for classes the next day though so that he would be ready, but otherwise, the subject was avoided for the rest of the week, and only partially because of the other vampires in the house that could hear anything they said on the subject. 

Bonnie left after her last class on Friday, not taking Jeremy with her since there would be too many questions from him, but they had been married long enough that he wasn’t too upset with his wife taking a weekend trip with her grandmother without him. Damon and Elena also went down for the weekend after calling Jo and switching their appointment to Monday this week. They wanted to be close by when Sheila and Bonnie hopefully got the answers they needed so there was no point in making an extra trip two days later. It would mean missing a day of classes, but Elena was far enough ahead due to her efforts to avoid the issues that she could afford it. 

No one else knew that they were going to the same place as Bonnie though. As far as the rest of the household were concerned they were taking a romantic weekend getaway, which happened often enough not to raise eyebrows. They all stayed in Mystic Falls, Bonnie with her grams and Damon and Elena at the currently empty boarding house. They took the opportunity to spend a little time with Jenna, Ric, five year old Gene and two year old Miranda. 

Their first day there, Jenna noticed Elena becoming more than a little emotional as she played with the little ones, and the wistful way that Damon was watching her, so Jenna pulled him aside, despite knowing that Elena would be able to hear every word anyway if she was paying attention. “Is everything okay with you and Elena?” she asked worriedly once they were in the kitchen. 

“Fine. Why do you ask?” 

“She just seems a little…off. I know you were worried about her regretting becoming a vampire because of the kids thing…”

Damon huffed a laugh. “No, this is nothing like that. I do know what’s going on with her, but I can’t tell you yet. If all goes well, hopefully before we head back to school we’ll be able to tell you though.” He and Elena had decided that if they got good news they would tell Jenna and Ric before they left. 

“Okay. Good enough,” Jenna nodded. As long as he was aware of the potential problem and handling it, she could live with that. 

“I was thinking…if you and Ric want a break, Elena and I could take the kids for you tonight. Have a little sleepover and all,” Damon suggested. 

“I think that’s a great idea and I’m sure Ric will agree,” Jenna grinned at him. 

As they headed back to the living room, Elena beamed at Damon, proving that he’d done the right thing. They would enjoy having the kids for the night. It would be good practice if nothing else. After a nice Damon cooked lunch, Jenna and Ric got the kids packed up to go with Damon and Elena and enjoyed the rest of their free evening.


	72. Chapter 72

Once they got back to the boarding house with the kids, they were glad that Jenna had thought to pack some toys and games because they realized they had nothing for children. Though both kids did seem to love climbing the bookshelves. And the furniture. And the stairs. Damon and Elena allowed it though. As long as they were standing right behind them to catch them if they fell. Granted they could have caught them from across the room with their vampire speed, but they were trying to hide from the kids that they weren’t human. At least until they were old enough to understand the concept of a secret. 

Damon cooked dinner for the kids and Miranda ended up getting covered head to toe in spaghetti sauce, Elena went up to give her a bath, leaving Damon with Gene. When she came back downstairs, she stopped short with a happy smile at the sight that met her. Gene was sitting on Damon’s lap, dozing off, as Damon read him a book. It wasn’t exactly a children’s book, but Gene didn’t seem to mind. Elena walked over quietly and sat down next to him with Miranda who seemed a little sleepy too, and she leaned against Damon’s side with the toddler in her lap. Damon’s free arm wrapped around her and he kissed her head, not missing a beat in his reading which is when Elena realized that he was reading them Call of the Wild. Apparently he wanted to get them hooked on his favorite book early. She smiled and leaned her head on his shoulder as his voice lulled both kids to sleep. 

They got them upstairs and in the room next to theirs furthest from the stairs before they grabbed a spare box spring from one of the unused rooms to block the stairs and headed to bed themselves, not that they slept for a while, though they did make an effort to stay quiet and kept half an ear out for the kids waking up. The next morning after a hearty breakfast of pancakes and sausage for the kids and blood for Damon and Elena which they took turns drinking downstairs, they spent a few more hours running around the back garden before they got a call from Bonnie who wanted to come by for lunch to update them, but did go ahead and tell them it was good news. 

They took the kids home in time to get back for lunch with Bonnie, promising to come for dinner if they could probably with news. Jenna got the hint that they couldn’t stay long, so didn’t keep them, resolving to ask how the kids behaved over dinner instead. They got back about thirty minutes before Bonnie pulled in and to their surprise Sheila was with her. The only time the old witch had been there was for their wedding. Damon had used the time they were waiting to cook lunch for them and it was hitting the table as they came in. 

Damon managed to wait until they were all sitting down, the humans eating, before asking, “So what did you find out?” 

“The babies are a gift,” Sheila told them. “Apparently the spirits were impressed with the changes you made and all the trouble you managed to avoid. The fact that you decided against waking up Silas giving up the vampire cure that you wanted so badly, made them inclined to help you out.”

“They knew that you mostly wanted the cure so that you could have children,” Bonnie took up the story. “So they made a little adjustment to the natural order.”

“So is it just these two or could we have more?” Elena asked. 

“They couldn’t change much, mind you. They couldn’t just give you children either. Basically it’s possible now for any vampires, but only with their true bonded soulmate and only when the supermoon is in full eclipse which only happens every twenty years give or take. There is about an hour window when conception is possible.”

“That was the only even powerful enough for them to anchor it to that happened at least semi-regularly. Oh and you can’t be a truly bonded soulmate with your humanity off,” Bonnie added. 

Elena blushed a bit as she remembered the eclipse back at the end of September. She and Damon had found a deserted field near the school to watch it and ended up more wrapped up in each other than watching the eclipse. “So, the babies will be okay then?” 

“They will be the same as any human baby, other than the whole blood and vampire thing. They will have emotions, personality, and all that which they will get from both of you,” Bonnie told them. 

Damon grinned, picking Elena up from her chair and spinning her around with a happy laugh. Elena clung to him, happy tears streaming from her eyes. When he put her down, Bonnie got the same treatment. Sheila opened her mouth to stop him from doing the same to her but she wasn’t fast enough and got spun as well. She patted his back as he put her down, unable to resist a smile at his exuberance. 

The rest of lunch was spent with talk about the babies, though the witches didn’t have any more answers about what they could expect, speculation ran wild, but now it was optimistic speculation at least. It wasn’t long before Bonnie had to leave to start heading back to school and she took Sheila home first. 

Once they were gone, Damon and Elena got in the car to head back to Ric and Jenna’s. They were barely inside when Elena blurted out, “I’m pregnant. With twins.” 

“Wait what? How?” Ric stammered as Jenna was just completely at a loss for words. 

They gave them the whole story as learned by the witches and by the time they finished, Jenna had Elena trapped in a big hug, both of them in tears. “I am SO happy for you,” Jenna said before treating Damon to the same and then dragging them in to sit. “That’s why you didn’t want to say anything yesterday? You wanted to find out how?” 

“And we wanted to make sure that they would be okay,” Damon told them. 

“Okay in what way?” Ric asked curiously. 

“Vampires get their humanity…emotions, personality, all of that…carried over from when they were human. Since the babies won’t ever be human we were worried about how they would turn out,” Elena explained. 

“That makes sense,” Jenna agreed. Now she realized why Elena had gotten so emotional playing with the kids yesterday. All that worry on top of normal pregnancy emotions couldn’t have been easy. “But it’s all good now?” 

“Yep,” Damon said, rubbing his hand over Elena’s stomach. “Everything is perfect and we’re going to be parents in about five months, give or take.”

“What about prenatal care?” Jenna asked. “Or is that not something that you have to worry about?” 

“We’re seeing a doctor at Whitmore. She gave up her magic, but she was raised a witch so knows about the supernatural world,” Elena told her. “It’s a long drive for the checkups, but worth it. Since the babies don’t have heartbeats, any other doctor would freak.” 

“And now that we know that they aren’t much different than human babies overall, we might not need checkups as often,” Damon added. 

“But what about the birth?” Ric asked. 

“My due date won’t be until after I graduate so we’ll be back here by then so we’ll only be an hour away,” Elena told them. 

“I’m training to deliver them myself though just in case,” Damon chimed in. “Hopefully it won’t be needed though.” 

The conversation was interrupted when Gene and Miranda woke up from their naps, but quickly continued once everyone was settled again. They stayed until well after dinner and once the kids were in bed, Jenna and Elena went upstairs for some girl talk while Damon and Ric pulled out the bourbon. They both had missed their drinking buddy for the last five years that they were away more often than not. 

The next morning, Damon and Elena were up bright and early and headed for Whitmore and their next checkup where they let Jo know what they’d learned about the pregnancy and how it happened. When she asked if they wanted to know the sex of the baby, Damon said no while Elena said yes. Jo laughed and just said they could figure it out later as she got them set up for another ultrasound. “At least we know now that it will be a normal nine month pregnancy and the conception date which makes things easier. Your due date will be July 5th, but anytime in the last three weeks would be considered full term.”

“We’ll be back to Mystic Falls by the beginning of June, so we won’t be that far away by then,” Elena told her. 

“Good. I’m glad to hear that,” Jo said relieved. She’d been a little worried about that. “Everything seems to be going well so far. They are a little more active than last week.”

“I’ve been drinking more blood lately. Since I didn’t know why I was craving more I’d been holding myself back before,” Elena explained. 

“Good job. It seems that, for the time being at least, that’s all they need. You haven’t been eating human food?” 

“No. I can’t keep anything down when I try,” Elena told her. 

“That’s not really surprising. While your body is used to it from being human, the babies aren’t and they’re rejecting it. At least that’s my best guess,” Jo said with a shrug. “I’m gonna give you some prenatal vitamins. I don’t know if they’ll help or not so if you can’t keep them down, don’t worry about taking them, but if you can they can’t hurt.” 

Since they were doing so well and had a better idea now of what to expect, Jo only wanted to see them again in two weeks and assuming all was still well, only every month after that unless something came up. It would be more often again towards the end, of course, but for now, there was no need to make such a long trip so often.


	73. Chapter 73

Once the appointment was over, Damon and Elena headed home. They had an entire houseful of people that needed to hear the news. It was Elena that brought up the big subject though. “I don’t think we should tell them about the true soulmates part.”

“Why not?” Damon asked curiously. 

“Because we have no way of knowing if Stefan and Caroline are true soulmates or not and I don’t want to risk getting their hopes up or even breaking them apart if it turns out that they aren’t.” 

“That’s a good point. But then what do we say instead?” 

“That ours were a gift from the powers that be and all that and that it’s possible for them but really rare without the divine hand in it or something,” Elena suggested. 

Damon considered it for a moment before nodding. “Okay. That sounds like a good plan. I’m sure Bonnie will be on board too, so we’ll just have to make sure Ric and Jenna don’t mention it.”

“Yeah. I’ll take care of that. Anyone else we tell will get this version of the story though,” Elena decided, and Damon agreed. 

They got back to school a little after lunch and since they decided to break the news over dinner, Elena went to her afternoon class after a blood bag for a snack. They had texted everyone to be home for dinner just to make sure and once they were all sitting down, most of them eating human food since Bonnie and Jeremy still needed to, Elena gave them the news as Damon beamed next to her. “Oh my god!!!!” Caroline was the first to react, almost knocking the whole table over in her exuberance and grabbed them both in hugs at the same time. 

Stefan gaped at them in shock and Jeremy wasn’t much better off. “That’s not a very funny joke,” Stefan said after a minute.

“It’s not a joke, brother,” Damon told him before explaining their story about how it happened. That was Elena’s cue to show around the ultrasound photos from last week and from today. 

“When are you due?” Caroline asked as she cooed over the picture. 

“The beginning of July,” Damon said. “Which means we’re not doing much shopping or anything for the babies until we get home after graduation.” 

“Okay, but we still have to throw you a baby shower here before we leave though for all our friends. Maybe the day before graduation. And then another one back in Mystic Falls of course for everyone there,” Caroline said excitedly. 

“You knew,” Jeremy asked Bonnie, noticing her lack of reaction. 

“Yeah. They told me right away. They needed Grams and me to get some answers on how this happened and everything before they told everyone,” Bonnie told him. 

“That’s why you went home for the weekend,” Jeremy realized with a nod. He could understand them wanting to know that much before they told everyone. “Who else knows so far?” Jeremy asked them. 

“Just Jenna and Ric,” Elena told him. 

Jeremy smiled. He could live with that. Family knew first. He got up and pulled her into a hug. “Congratulations Elena,” he told her happily. 

“When is the next supermoon eclipse?” Stefan asked curiously, getting a squeal from Caroline who figured out what he was thinking. 

“Not until twenty thirty three,” Damon told him regretfully. They had looked it up first thing. 

“We can try then,” Caroline promised Stefan who smiled and nodded at her. At least they had forever so even if it took a while, at least they had hope now. 

The rest of the school year flew by. The babies were still healthy and there weren’t any complications to be worried about, and Elena had won the argument about finding out the sex of the babies with the logic that it would be easier to plan. They were having a boy and a girl. Elena did find dealing with the pregnancy and going for her masters at the same time to be rather stressful, but she powered through. Damon helped her as much as he could by doing his best to make sure she had nothing else to worry about. Caroline got in on the action by helping her organize and color code her notes and research, and even Bonnie threw a little witchy action her way when her stress levels got too high. 

They had the baby shower at school the day before graduation as planned, and Ric, Jenna, and Liz were there too, since they had come up for graduation. They had brought small gifts this time. Clothes, bibs, and bottles, but promised the big gifts when they did the baby shower at home. Most of what they got were small gifts, but that was to be expected with all college kids, most of whom didn’t have a lot of money. They were mostly in it for the party anyway. 

After graduation, they headed home, but it was late so they all slept at the boarding house that night. Bonnie’s father had decided since he was home so seldom anyway he was giving her and Jeremy the house, but they would be waiting a few days to move in. As far as Elena and Damon, Elena was ready to unveil her surprise that had been ongoing for the last five years off and on. 

The next morning, everyone went off to do their own thing, and Elena led Damon through the woods, wanting to leave the new driveway for later so it didn’t spoil the surprise too soon. As they stepped out onto the perfectly manicured lawn in the recleared area and Damon got a look at the manor house in the middle of it, his breath hitched. “I know that you had a lot of bad memories here, but I know you had a lot of good ones too and I know you might not like it, but I wanted some place for us and it seemed like a good idea at the time…”

Damon cut Elena off by pulling her into a deep passionate kiss. “How did you…” he breathed out, tears in his eyes, as he turned to look back at the perfect replica of the house from his childhood. 

“I got with Mrs. Lockwood before we went off to college and she managed to find the original blueprints in the archives. They were able to use most of the existing foundation, but it needed some repairs. I had the inside modernized for the most part with indoor plumbing and electricity and everything, but otherwise it should be the same. Stefan even helped with the furniture and stuff.” 

“This is…you’re…amazing,” Damon said pulling her into another kiss before all but dragging her towards the house. He walked through every inch, trailing his hands over more than a few places, and telling her at least one happy memory from each room and there were a lot of rooms. They saved the master bedroom for last, and Damon stood behind her, wrapping his arms around her large stomach, hands flat to feel the babies kick as he told her, “Stef and I were both born right here in this room.” 

They had discussed the idea in passing, but hadn’t actually decided anything on the matter, and Elena thought now was a good time to bring it up. “Maybe we should have our children here too.” 

Damon smiled at the idea. When it had been having them at the boarding house or even any other place they lived, he had been on the fence, but here…this was different. “As long as Jo says it’s safe, I would love that.” He was still scared to death at the idea of delivering them himself, but Caroline had been studying with him once she realized what he was doing and would be more than happy to help and maybe they could even get Jo out here for it too. 

Damon realized as they hit the bed that it had been modernized too. Beds definitely weren’t this comfortable back in the mid eighteen hundreds. He wasn’t complaining though. He could see all the places where things were changed, but it had all been in an understated way and was all much more convenient anyway. He did insist that one particular room not be used except for storage and when Elena asked why he told her that it was Katherine’s old room and Elena completely understood. It was on the far side of the house anyway, so it wouldn’t be a hardship. There were more rooms than they could ever use anyway. 

That weekend was the combined baby shower/housewarming party and they made out like bandits at this one. Even Zach came back to town for it as he had their wedding. Ric and Jenna gave them both cribs from their kids. One blue and one pink. Liz gave them a playpen and a double stroller. Everyone else gave them clothes, baby blankets, bottles, pacifiers, diapers, and a variety of other odds and ends that would come in handy. Once it was over, Damon and Elena realized that they wouldn’t need to buy anything at all, though they still planned to do some clothes shopping anyway to pick their own things out for the babies.


	74. Chapter 74

Jeremy and Bonnie waited until after the shower to announce that they were expecting a baby too. Bonnie was only two months in so they didn’t know what they were having yet, but everyone was so happy for them. Caroline felt left out since she was the only one of their best friend since babies trio that wasn’t expecting, but she comforted herself with the fact that the next baby that Damon and Elena had would have one of hers to grow up with too. Hopefully, anyway. 

At her appointment on June twentieth, Jo gave her the go-ahead for a home birth and agreed to be there if she could, but no promises since if she was on shift at the hospital she wouldn’t be able to get away. That was good enough for Damon and Elena though. Elena hoped that the babies wouldn’t come on her birthday on the twenty second since Jo told them it could be any day now, but thankfully they waited until the first of July. 

Elena was headed down the stairs when her water broke and Damon heard her cry of pain and was at her side to catch her as her knees buckled thanks to his vamp speed. He picked her up and carried her to their bedroom, sitting her in the chair as he pulled the plastic sheets to put on the bed before settling her there. Once that was done, he pulled out his phone and sent the group text that was all set up for just this purpose. Stefan and Caroline, who were still close by at the boarding house and had vamp speed to help them, were there in under ten minutes. Caroline was helping, but Stefan decided to wait downstairs. 

Stefan wasn’t alone for long though and was soon joined by Liz, who used her sirens to get there faster, and not long after that by Ric, Jenna, Jeremy, and Bonnie. Jenna went up to be with Elena during the labor, but everyone else stayed downstairs. Bonnie would have, but her morning sickness had been pretty bad lately and she didn’t want to know how she would handle it in there. The guys just didn’t want to see that much of Elena, miracle of childbirth or not. 

Upstairs, Damon was a nervous wreck, which amused everyone else in the room, though they tried to hide it. Elena did remind him at one point that she was the one who had the hard part. Jenna sat on one side of the bed, while Damon sat on the other and they both held her hands through it. Damon got up when it was time to push though. As terrified as he was, he liked the idea of delivering them himself rather than letting Caroline do it. 

Jo showed up just before the pushing started, having just gotten off her shift at the hospital, but she let Damon do most of the work and she just stayed available in case she was needed. Since Jo was there to back him up, Caroline took Damon’s place on the bed next to Elena during that part. The first baby was the boy and Jo cleaned him up while Damon delivered the girl. By the time she was out, Jenna was holding the boy, waiting to hand him to Elena once she was done. 

Damon was the one to clean their daughter off, allowing Jo to deliver the placenta. Not only was that the most dangerous part, but it was also the part that Damon had not been looking forward to. Once their daughter was clean, Damon headed back over to the bed and Caroline quickly relinquished her spot for him as Jenna handed Elena their son. “We’ll give you two some time,” Jenna said, leaning over to press a kiss to Elena’s sweaty forehead before she followed Jo and Caroline out of the room. 

Damon wrapped his free arm around Elena, pulling her to his side, and kissing her head. “They’re perfect,” he said in awe, gaze going between both his children and his amazing wife. 

“They are,” Elena said happily. “Are we still good with the names we picked?” They had mostly decided the names weeks ago, but didn’t want to set them in stone and tell anyone until they were born. 

“Yeah. Still work for me,” Damon told her with a smile. 

“Okay. You can go introduce them then. I need to sleep,” she said exhausted.

Damon got up and set both the babies down in the crib they had in here for the time being. “Let’s get the bed cleaned up first,” he said as he helped her up and to the chair. Once she was sitting, he rolled up the messy plastic, throwing it in the bathtub and tossed the throw blankets they’d used over into the hamper to clean later. Then he pulled back the regular blankets and helped Elena back into bed, kissing her softly before she was out like a light. 

They had both practiced picking up and carrying two babies as soon as they knew about the twins, so he didn’t have any trouble getting them both into his arms and carrying them downstairs. “Everyone, meet Damien Thomas Salvatore and Anastasia Briana Salvatore,” he said with a happy smile. He truly had it all now. A wife, children, the perfect life and he didn’t even have to be human to get it. 

He and Elena had agreed that Caroline and Stefan would be the god-parents since they were the only ones that didn’t have any children of their own or immediate prospects to have any. They weren’t going to tell them until later when they could tell them together. When the babies woke up and started crying he handed them off to make the rounds and went to get two bottles ready. He knew that human babies only drank about two ounces of formula at this age, but just to be on the safe side until they knew for sure, he put four ounces of blood in each bottle and heated them up. 

Each bottle was only half gone, but at least he didn’t have to worry about the blood going bad in the next few hours before the next feeding. He stayed down with the group for a few more hours until he heard Elena waking up and took the babies back up to her just in time for their next feeding which they did together. By the time they were both coming down the stairs, most of the group had left. Damon had asked Stefan and Caroline to stay though. They both happily agreed to be the godparents to the babies and were touched to have been asked. 

For the first few months, the babies shared a crib in Damon and Elena’s room before they were moved to the nursery in their separate cribs. They learned that thankfully, as long as their diet consisted solely of blood, they didn’t need diapers, and since they hated baby formula which was tried just to see, there was no need to worry about it. The did end up having to use some of the diapers though whenever they went out in public. 

People were understanding about them keeping the babies at home for the first few months, but then questions started being asked so they started taking short outings. They had some white food coloring just in case it was needed, but they tried to avoid being out during feeding time anyway. There was only one close call, but they happened to be close to the sheriff’s office when it came up, and Liz had no problems with letting them use her office with the excuse that they were breastfeeding of why the blinds were drawn and they were so private about it. Thankfully they didn’t have their fangs yet since they would have been caught out in a minute, and Damon and Elena were already making plans to disappear for a little while when they did until they learned how to keep it secret. 

When the babies were six months old, Bonnie and Jeremy’s daughter was born. They named her after Bonnie’s grandmother and Jeremy’s. Sheila Kimberly Bennett-Gilbert, and they could already tell that she would be a powerful witch one day. Sheila the elder told them that she hoped they wouldn’t wait too long to start training her. It was traditional to start once they were old enough to keep the secret and the only reason she hadn’t with Bonnie was because her father forbade it. Jeremy and Bonnie wouldn’t have that problem. 

Since they didn’t have to worry about money, Damon and Elena both stayed home with the babies for a while. It was definitely helpful since twins were a handful in the best of times, though the lack of diapers offset that a bit. Something that every other parent in their group was more than a little jealous of, and Damon did his best to be the kind of father he’d always dreamed of being.


	75. Bonus/Epilogue

Damien and Anna were almost two years old when one day, Elena woke up in a cold sweat, sitting straight up in bed and looking around wildly. “What’s wrong, baby?” Damon asked sitting up with her and rubbing her back. “You okay?” 

“I…think so?” Elena said catching her breath as her mind went a mile a minute.

“What is it?” Damon asked again. 

“What day was it when you came back in time?” Elena asked curiously. 

“March 7th twenty eighteen. Why?” Damon asked, before suddenly realizing that was today and he got more worried. “Elena?” 

“I think I just got the memories of my other self,” she told him shakily. 

“Oh god. Are you okay?” he asked pulling her into his arms. There was so much bad last time around. So much loss and pain and regret. 

“I…think so,” she said again. “It’s just…a lot to take in.” 

“I know, baby,” Damon told her. “I’m sorry.” 

Elena turned in his arms and held him tightly, just breathing him in for a good long while before they laid back down. She didn’t get any more sleep that night though. She was too busy processing all the memories and trying to reconcile them with her current life. Hearing Damon talk about all the trouble they had was far different from experiencing it. Not to mention she now had the memories of loving Stefan too which kinda grossed her out. He was as much her brother as Jeremy was. What she had felt for Stefan in that life still didn’t hold a candle for her feelings for Damon, vampire or not. 

When she started crying, Damon held her tighter and ran one hand over her back soothingly as the other ran through her hair. He knew that there was nothing he could say or do to make this better. All he could do is be here for her and listen if she wanted to talk. Eventually she did fall back asleep, and Damon let her sleep as late as she wanted, getting up with the kids and taking them outside to play so she wouldn’t be disturbed. 

The next few days, Elena was more than a little distracted and would randomly burst into tears for seemingly no reason, but Damon completely understood. That was a lot of crap to process and he made sure to tell her often how proud of her he was for how well she was handling it. Especially when she was upset. He wanted her to know that it was okay. He gladly picked up the slack for her while she was out of sorts. 

Elena replayed that entire other life in her mind, understanding a lot more why the other her made the choices she did, but she still disagreed with the whole vampire issue. Now that she had her children, there was nothing appealing about being human for her anymore. Damon had told her how much of a monster he used to be before, but she couldn’t help but think that he had overplayed it a lot. Yeah, he wasn’t a good guy like he was now, but he did have more redeeming qualities than he’d admitted to and she could see how she fell in love with him anyway. Even without that pull she felt towards him from the moment they met. 

It didn’t take long before she was back to her old self though, with quite a bit more baggage now, but more grateful than ever for her loving husband. He had saved so many people. Including her. She couldn’t imagine ever loving anyone more and she made sure to tell him so as often as possible. 

The kids didn’t get their fangs until they were five, which unfortunately coincided with starting school, so they ended up starting a year late while they were taught to control them. They continued drinking blood from the bags until they were teenagers though when they were taught to properly feed. They aged normally until they hit around twenty when they stopped aging, which was about the time they needed to move on to avoid too many questions from being asked. Even putting grey streaks in their hair only worked for so long. 

Their next stop was Raleigh, wanting to enjoy the city life for a while but still stay relatively close. At least until the rest of their mortal family passed on. They rented a home instead of buying one, wanting to keep Mystic Falls as their only permanent residence. Stefan and Caroline came with them of course, but Bonnie and Jeremy stayed behind, wanting to live out the rest of their lives in their home, though they did come to visit often along with their three kids, two boys and a girl, two of whom were witches and the other wasn’t. Jenna and Ric were getting on in years, but also came to visit often, along with Gene and Miranda. 

Grams had passed on in twenty twenty, and Liz went ten years later. Her early warning and the avoidance of vampire blood had bought her about fifteen years, but eventually the cancer caught up to her anyway. Caroline was more than grateful for that extra time and she and Stefan named their daughter Elizabeth after her once she was born after the next supermoon eclipse. Unfortunately, a few years too late to meet her namesake. Damon, once again, gave the eulogy for one of his best friends. 

It was a difficult adjustment for Damon and Elena after moving when their children had to become their siblings for the sake of the human ruse, but they managed and had another son at the same time that Caroline and Stefan had their daughter so they didn’t miss the parent roles too much. They had agreed that they were done for a while after this one though. They had forever to have more children and they wanted a break from raising children after forty years of it. 

Caroline and Stefan had another one, a boy, at the next opportunity before they took a break too. After the first hundred years, their kids all set off on their own, and even the two couples, as close as they’d been for so long, took some time apart. Damon and Elena headed to the west coast while Stefan and Caroline moved to the Midwest. Every fifty years they ended up back in Mystic Falls together though for as long as they could manage before they moved on which was usually about thirty years. Sometimes the kids joined them, but not always. 

The hardest part for Elena to deal with was not being able to go to the funerals of her friends and family who passed. She had been preparing herself for the grief of their deaths for decades, and as horrible as it was, she made it through with a lot of TLC from her husband. Not being able to go to the funerals hit her hard though. She did sneak back afterwards to say goodbye at all their graves, especially Jeremy who was the one that hit her hardest. Even more so than when the mortal children in the family started dying. They had helped to raise Ric and Jenna’s kids as well as Bonnie and Jeremy’s. At least they didn’t have to bury their own children though. That would have killed them both. 

Aside from the pain of losing people, they were more than happy with their lives. Damon and Elena never wavered in their love for each other, and it may not have been the one they planned the first time around, but they still got their perfect life and it got to last forever.


End file.
